If you’re a comic fan like me, and were collecting in the 1990s, you probably remember Valiant Comics quite well. The company went through major ups and downs thanks to the “speculator boom” which had fans buying books with low print runs hoping to sell high on the after market, and for a while it worked… until it didn’t, and soon Valiant’s titles became back issue box warmers. That’s not to say they weren’t good, some were actually really solid. One of the best was BLOODSHOT (created by Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin and the great Bob Layton), which has been revamped and is still being published today. The story follows former soldier Ray Garrison, who becomes an assassin with healing abilities thanks to nanites injected into his bloodstream – think Deadpool, only not funny, or a more hi-tech Punisher. There have been rumors of a BLOODSHOT movie for years, but in 2020 we’ll finally see it come to life, and with Vin Diesel in the title role. You can see the first trailer below. I’m conflicted, as while I like the character (and Diesel), he has a pretty definitive look in the comics, and it’s not really present here. The most obvious aspect is a giant red dot on his chest… maybe it’s there under the shirt and we’re just not seeing it yet. This is directed by Dave Wilson, his feature debut, though he’s worked on countless popular video games as a Cinematic Director including STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC and THE FORCE UNLEASHED… I can’t tell you how cool I think it is that Hollywood is finally starting to recognize the abilities of these video game directors, many are doing amazing stuff. The screenplay for the film comes from Eric Heisserer (BIRD BOX) and Jeff Wadlow (KICK-ASS 2). The cast includes Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Guy Pearce, Talulah Riley, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Siddharth Dhananjay, and Lamorne Morris. Check out the new International trailer and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
After he and his wife are murdered, Marine Ray Garrison (played by Vin Diesel) is resurrected by a secret team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine – “Bloodshot.” As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he cannot recall anything from his former life. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both he and his beautiful wife, he breaks out of the facility hellbent on revenge, only to discover that there’s more to the conspiracy than he thought.