As reported by Deadline, Starz has picked up RZA and Jerry Bruckheimer’s Black Samurai, which is based on Marc Olden’s book of the same name from 1974. We reported last June that Common was on board to star in the series, and now he’ll be executive producing the show along with RZA and Bruckheimer. Like the original book, Black Samurai will follow an American Army Ranger named Robert Sand who meets a Japanese martial arts master and trains to become a samurai. After his sensei and brothers are murdered, who embarks on a “worldwide journey of both revenge and self-discovery.” The book was previously adapted into a movie in 1977, with Jim Kelly playing Sand.
In a statement, the producers say that Black Samurai—which is just a working title—will be a “a mash-up of the spy and martial-arts genres and infused with the heart, soul, and music of Common and the Wu-Tang Clan.”