John Boyega Expected to Star in The Book of Eli Prequel Series

John Boyega is set to executive produce and star in a TV series prequel to The Book of Eli, according to a report by Deadline.

Deadline’s sources have Boyega playing a younger version of Eli, the titular character originated by Denzel Washington. The series allegedly takes place 30 years prior to The Book of Eli film, roughly around the time of the nuclear apocalypse that triggers the much later events of The Book of Eli.

Original Book of Eli writer and co-writer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Gary Whitta is allegedly back on the project, alongside the Hughes brothers Albert and Allen Hughes as executive producers. Alcon Entertainment is also involved, though the project has yet to find a buyer.

Though the project’s future isn’t fully secured just yet, if picked up, it would represent another major role for Boyega, whose work in the most recent Star Wars trilogy earned him a BAFTA Rising Star Award and who has since received a Golden Globe for his role as Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue. IGN has reached out to Boyega’s representatives for comment.

The Book of Eli debuted in 2010 as a post-apocalyptic action film about a man named Eli delivering a mysterious book across a nuclear waste. We gave the film an 8/10 back in the day, calling it “a surprisingly moving film” where “the more philosophical subtext rises to the surface and elicits an actual emotion out of the audience.”

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Author: Rebekah Valentine. [Source Link (*), IGN All]

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