Project Power Writer Explains How Comic Books Inspired Netflix's New Movie

Friday morning brought the arrival of Netflix's next big-budget action movie, Project Power, a [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

Friday morning brought the arrival of Netflix's next big-budget action movie, Project Power, a superhero story of sorts that revolves around a dangerous drug. Unlike most superhero movies out there in the world today, Project Power isn't based on any existing IP. It wasn't a comic or TV series in the past, it's a brand new creation from up-and-coming writer Mattson Tomlin. That said, the handprints of comics are all over this movie, as Tomlin's love of comic books inspired him to create the story in the first place.

"I went to the American Film Institute, and the professors there have a saying that I think is really appropriate. 'Write your way to the table,'" Tomlin told ComicBook.com. "And for me, I started working on Project Power in late 2016, and I love comic books. I learned how to read off of them. I love comic book movies, all of that stuff. It is such a primal connection for me. I knew I wanted to be playing in that space, but I also knew at 26, I was not at the point in my career where I was going to get invited to any of those rooms. So, I had to write my way to the table. "That meant trying to write a script that had all those things that I really love, but also differentiated itself, really tried to do something different."

Project Power must have been enough to get Tomlin into those rooms he talked about, because he's credited as the co-writer of one of the most anticipated comic book projects currently in the pipeline: The Batman. The young scribe, who just turned 30, worked on the script alongside director Matt Reeves, bringing to life one of the most iconic characters in comic history.

Tomlin continued on to say that one of the most difficult aspects of working on existing franchises or IP is the level of expectation set by fans. By creating something new, like Project Power, he was able to avoid all of that entirely and just focus on telling a story.

"One of the things that I have come to realize, working on both sides of the spectrum here, is that with something that is based on IP, that's been around for a long time that has millions and millions of fans, there's a certain expectation for what that thing can and can't be," he said. "And when you're writing something original, there's zero expectations for what it can be. So, it can just pull moves that other things can't, and that doesn't mean it's better or worse. It can just be different. And so for me, I love Eight Mile. I love Collateral. And I love super powers. I want to put them all together and talk about some stuff that I'm feeling right now. And just try to make something that is the movie that I want to see as a fan. And that's kind of how the script came tumbling out of me."

Are you looking forward to checking out Project Power on Netflix this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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