Jason Momoa's The Executioner, Described As Knives Out Meets Lord Of The Rings, Heads To Warner Bros.
If that tagline doesn't sell you, I don't know what will. "Knives Out" reminded everyone how good Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries can actually be (unlike "Death on the Nile" and/or "Murder on the Orient Express," which is sad), so why not take that good classic murder mystery feel and ... make it a richly plotted fantasy? I mean, why not? If anyone can tousle their hair and sell a project, it's definitely Jason Momoa ("Aquaman").
This weird and vaguely thrilling news comes straight from Deadline, which has it "on very good authority" that the "Knives Out" meets "Lord of the Rings" Jason Momoa project has been snapped up by Warner Bros. after a pretty serious bidding war. Tentatively titled "The Executioner," there are no details about the plot except the ones we have already provided, which leaves us with a rich yet hole-filled tapestry.
Does the "Knives Out" reference mean it's going to be funny? Does the "Lord of the Rings" nod mean there will be a large ensemble cast? Or are these hollow comps that describe a wooden fantasy fashioned around a rote mystery? Hopefully, we'll be working with more of the former than the latter. We need more funny fantasy movies that are also full of murder (besides "A Field In England," if that counts). You know me, I'm always saying that.
Judge, jury, and magical murder mystery executioner
So who will be working on this murder romp besides DC-star Momoa? There's no director heading "The Executioner" up yet, but the script has been penned by Kaz Firpo and Ryan Firpo, the minds behind "The Eternals," which means we're crossing some streams when it comes to the DC and Marvel family trees, but that's inevitable. And speaking of DC, Peter Safran (who produced "Aquaman") will be producing this project along with executive producer Jesse Ehrman. So it's also kind of an "Aquaman" reunion party, or an "Aquaman" reunion dirge, depending on how you feel about "Aquaman." I won't judge.
Besides those cold hard facts, there's not a lot of intel on what "The Executioner" will look like, who else will be starring in it, or when it will be gracing a screen anywhere near you, which is not unusual. It's still very early in the project's lifespan, Momoa is focused on upcoming movies like "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," and we probably won't know more until a few years down the road. Still, I can't wait to watch a long-haired Momoa solve crimes with his magic executioner's axe. And you clicked on this story, so I bet you can't either.