Denzel Washington's 2010 Post-Apocalyptic Film Is Getting a Prequel
The Book of Eli is getting a prequel series starring John Boyega, but fans are not sure the original movie ever needed one.
Summary:
- The Book of Eli prequel TV series reportedly to be pitched to potential buyers soon
- John Boyega, who is also an executive producer, will portray the younger version of the titular character previously played by Denzel Washington
- However, fans feel that there isn't much to tell in the show, since the original movie was already lacking in substance
Criticism of Hollywood's tendency to turn almost every successful project into a franchise and to dig up old movies to release long overdue prequels, sequels and spin-offs is nothing new, and some people have even grown tired of the constant complaints about how "everything lacks originality" these days.
This practice is not inherently bad, as even though such projects are (obviously) made with the hope of making a profit, it can still lead to some beautiful results that no one could have expected.
Blade Runner 2049, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Doctor Sleep were released decades after the original films and still proved to be worthy sequels that treated the source material with respect, while big franchises like Mission Impossible and the MCU ( at least until recently) have remained consistently great over the years.
The Books of Eli Prequel Is In The Works
Now it seems that 2010's post-apocalyptic neo-western The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington, is also returning from obscurity, as Deadline reports that a prequel series will soon be pitched to investors.
John Boyega, best known for his roles in Attack the Block, The Woman King, the Star Wars sequel trilogy and most recently They Cloned Tyrone, will play the young version of the titular character and will also serve as an executive producer.
The original movie was set in a world devastated by nuclear war and followed Eli, a man with an obscure past who carried a mysterious book across the wasteland and fiercely defended it against many who tried to take it from him by force.
While it wasn't the best movie ever made, which led to rather mixed reviews, it was still a pretty solid neo-Western that many fans enjoyed, not least thanks to Denzel Washington's charisma.
Although fans are eager to see Boyega's take on the character, believing that the actor will definitely nail the role given his talent, some are wondering if Eli even needs an entire TV show to explain his backstory.
Spoilers for the original movie ahead.
Fans Believe The Show Lacks Potential For A Great Story
Whereas the long-overdue sequels mentioned earlier had a lot of potential for intriguing stories, even if it wasn't obvious at first glance, the plot of The Book of Eli was pretty straightforward.
The biggest twist of the entire movie was that the protagonist was blind all along and that the book he was carrying, which turned out to be the Bible, was written in Braille, preventing the villain from reading it.
Though the show may focus on how Eli learned his impressive fighting and survival skills, and perhaps how he lost his sight, fans don't know if any of that needs to be explained at all.
A fresh and interesting setting could have made the series more exciting, but the movie was set in a fairly standard (if not bland) post-apocalypse without any distinctly unique elements that could have helped it stand out from many other post-apocalyptic stories.
Still, it's too early to draw any conclusions, as the project hasn't even found a home yet, and a well-written script could breathe new life into a seemingly generic story.