Netflix has given a series greenlight to Barbaric, a Medieval fantasy drama based on the best-selling Vault Comic of the same name. The project comes from A+ E Studios and Sheldon Turner & Jennifer Klein’s 100% Production.
In the series adaptation, from creator, executive producer and co-showrunner Turner (Up In The Air, X-Men First Class), a ruthless and crass barbarian is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe and a young witch on a road of self discovery, redemption and revenge.
No talent has been announced for Barbaric as deals are still being finalized. As Deadline reported exclusively, at the time the project landed at Netflix for development in July 2024, Sam Claflin had been attached to star and executive produce and Patrick Stewart to voice the axe, with Michael Bay in talks to direct.
Claflin (Daisy Jones & The Six) is confirmed as an executive producer of the newly picked up series alongside his partners at Soft Claw Productions Luke Carroll, and Michael Stevenson. Also executive producing are Turner and Klein via 100% Productions, Robert Rovner (Supergirl), who co-showruns alongside Turner; Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson for A+E Studios, Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost), F.J. DeSanto and Damian Wassel for Vault Comics.
The 2021 Barbaric comic, described as Deadpool meets Game of Thrones for the way it mashes gonzo violence and humor, was created by Mike Moreci and Nathan Gooden and edited by Adrian Wassel.
This marks A+E’s second series at Netflix where the studio is producing The Lincoln Lawyer, whose fifth season is currently in production in Los Angeles.
Klein and Turner are repped by CAA and Kevin Marks of Gang Tyre. Marxuach is repped by CAA and Jackoway Tyerman. Rovner is repped by CAA, The Shuman Company, and Myman Greenspan Fineman. Vault, Wassel, and DeSanto are repped by UTA, Industry, and Weintraub Tobin.
