Days after Netflix announced they were not moving forward with Grendel, The Flash actor Andy Mientus chimed in online to express his disappointment that the series, which was to be directed by Supernatural‘s Andrew Dabb, is potentially done for good. The project is being shopped around to other networks, but as soon as one network — especially one as visible as Netflix — gives a project a vote of no-confidence, it can be hard to get somebody else to take a chance on it.
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Mientus, who would play Larry Stohler, was set to star in the series alongside Abubakr Ali (Katy Keene) in the title role of Hunter Rose/Grendel. The series also stars Jaime Ray Newman as Jocasta Rose, Julian Black Antelope as Argent, Madeline Zima as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino as Teddy Ciccone, and Brittany Allen as Annabelle Wright.
“Grendel was a Yes when I needed one badly; my first job post pandemic, in a true dream role that pushed me as an actor to places I’d never gone before,” Mientus wrote in part. “I realized as I was doing it how hungry I’d been for such a push. “This might be the one,” I’d catch myself thinking, as I and hundreds of talented, tireless, wonderful people shot not just a pilot, not just a few episodes, but an entire season that now might go unseen. I’m used to shows closing or getting cancelled, but only after they at least get to meet the world, their fate decided (mostly) by their audience. What’s happened here is a new one for me, and a shock, and I won’t pretend it doesn’t really sting. I’m going to stay optimistic that we find a new home and if we don’t, I’ll get through it, of course, and will once again be tougher for it. But damn, I gotta say, I’m getting sick of getting tougher.”
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Originally debuting in 1982’s Comico Primer, the character appeared in a series of comics between 1983 and 1992, with occasional returns to the world of Grendel since, including a crossover with Batman, spinoffs by other comics creators at Dark Horse, and a novel by Greg Rucka. The original hero, Hunter Rose, is most likely to be the lead in the Netflix series, although other characters in the world have taken lead in the years since Rose’s original story.
After Rose, Wagner would share writing and art duties with other creators, with the Grendel identity affecting a variety of people. The name Grendel took on several meanings, as the stories portrayed a dystopian future, and eventually became a synonym for The Devil, with the title held by the emperor of the world (Grendel-Khan) and members of a samurai-like society of warriors. For years, Wagner returned to the stories of Hunter Rose on the rare occasion he came back to Grendel at all. In 2019, though, he released Devil’s Odyssey, returning to the dystopian future of Grendel-Prime.
Abubakr Ali (Katy Keene) is set to star in the title role. Grendel will be written and directed by Supernatural‘s Andrew Dabb. The series’ cast includes Jaime Ray Newman (The Time Traveler’s Wife) as Jocasta Rose, Julian Black Antelope (The Flash) as Argent, Madeline Zima (Californication) as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan (The Get Down) as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino (Watchmen) as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive) as Annabelle Wright, and Andy Mientus (The Flash) as Larry Stohler.
