Best known for directing/starring in 2012’s ‘The Man With The Iron Fists’ and his love for the martial arts genre, rapper turned producer THE RZA is developing a new series via WU FILMS alongside JERRY BRUCKHEIMER (Pirates of the Caribbean) for STARZ called BLACK SAMURAI.

The action series has landed COMMON (John Wick: Chapter Two) as the lead, who will also serve as executive producer.

‘Black Samurai’ is based on a series of novels written in 1974 by Marc Olden. The plot follows the character of ‘Robert Sand’ (Common), “a highly-trained American Army Ranger whose life is transformed when he meets a legendary Japanese master who invites him to train as a samurai. After his beloved sensei and samurai brothers are killed by mercenaries, Sand is thrust on a worldwide journey of both revenge and self-discovery.”

Common expressed his excitement for the project stating: “I’m beyond excited about ‘Black Samurai.’ This is a unique and special project that offers something rarely seen in art and culture today. It’s an honor to play the character of Robert Sand and to have my production company, Freedom Road Productions partnering with Jerry Bruckheimer Productions, RZA and Starz to deliver something fresh and new to people. I can’t wait to dig into this character and the martial arts worlds of gun-fu, kung-fu, jujitsu and more. Look out world, ‘Black Samurai’ is coming!”

The RZA added: “I’ve been a fan of the Robert Sand character since I was a kid, ‘Black Samurai’ being one of the films that got me into the martial art genre. A chance to combine with Jerry Bruckheimer, Common and Andre Gaines to reintroduce this character to a new generation makes myself and my partner Mitchell Diggs at Wu Films super stoked. With the Wibbs leading the writing team and Starz as our outlet, I’m certain the series will find its fan base.”

Stay tuned for more details.

SOURCE: Shadow And Act