Netflix is in the process of developing an adaptation of the Black Samurai novels, and has added Chad Stahelski as director, and Leigh Dana Jackson as writer, Deadline first reported. Stahelski will be collaborating on production with Jason Spitz, Alex Young, John Schoenfelder, and Russell Ackerman. Diane Crafford is stepping in as executive producer alongside Liza Fleissig and Andre Gaines from Cinematic Studios.
Stahelski is best known for being a stuntman, and for directing every film in the John Wick franchise. At the moment, he is currently working on John Wick 4 which is slated to premiere next year. He is also in the middle of producing a spin-off series called The Continental, and is directing an upcoming assassin film for Warner Bros called Shibumi. He also famously doubled for Brandon Lee, after Lee experienced a fatal accident on set of the 1994 film The Crow.
Jackson is the writer and executive producer for Apple TV+’s series Foundation, and is currently adapting Michael Moorcock’s series The Eternal Champion with David Goyer. He is also co-writing the Image Comics' series Bitter Root with Chad Hanley, and recently adapted Stephen King’s novella Throttle for HBO Max. Jackson's previous projects include FX's The Spook Who Stood By The Door and Netflix's series Raising Dion, where he served as a writer and producer.
The Black Samurai novels are part of a pulpy thriller book series written by the late author Marc Olden. The series contains a total of 8 novels, and follows the fictional character Robert Sand, an American solider in Japan who learns martial arts and the ancient secrets of the samurai. Over many years, Robert learns martial arts, swordplay, and stealth to stop dangerous forces. He also becomes the first Black man to ever take the oath of the samurai, and becomes one of the strongest fighters that sensei Konuma has trained. The first novel focuses on a mission of vengeance, while the other books feature fantastical globe-trotting adventures that involve black market warheads, pimps, power-mad millionaires, voodoo priests, a solid gold katana, and plenty of casualties along the way.
Netflix’s Black Samurai adaptation is still in the early stages of development, and a release date still remains unknown.