Vin Diesel’s ‘Bloodshot’ Adds ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Star Toby Kebbell To Cast

Toby Kebbell is the latest actor to join Vin Diesel in the Bloodshot cast. Sony’s comic book adaptation is collecting some of Hollywood’s most talented character actors, with Kebbell joining the likes of Baby Driver breakout Eiza Gonzalez, Outlander‘s Sam Heughan, and Michael Sheen in the sci-fi action flick.

Sony has cast Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Kong: Skull Island actor Toby Kebbell in Bloodshot, according to Variety. Vin Diesel is headlining the feature film adaptation of the Valiant comic book created in 1992 by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton.

Diesel, who was cast in the superhero movie in March, stars as a mortally wounded soldier who is resurrected with cutting-edge nanotechnology. Bloodshot is tasked with rounding up superpowered outcasts known as “harbingers,” but soon rebels against his corporate masters.

Kebbell’s role is not specified, nor are the roles of his other co-stars Gonzalez, Heughan, and Sheen, who joined the cast last month. But with Kebbell’s history of playing unhinged villains (often in mo-cap), it’s possible he will play a fellow soldier who hunts down the hero at the behest of their corporate masters. Kebbell is a talented character actor whose enthralling work in live-action and motion-capture is severely underrated. He could easily play one of the “harbingers” who ally with Bloodshot.

Kebbell’s filmography stretches back to the early 2000s. But by 2010, the actor was landing roles in big-budget, action films like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In 2014, Kebbell became an integral part of The Planet of the Apes franchise as Koba. Kebbell also played the aforementioned notable role of Dr. Doom in director Josh Trank’s critically panned Fantastic Four. Originally from England, Kebbell has been curating an extensive filmography. Now, he has a new project to add.

The film is based on the Bloodshot comic series created by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin and Bob Layton in 1992. Dave Wilson, Deadpool director Tim Miller’s partner at Blur Studios, will direct the film. Wilson wasn’t the first filmmaker attached to the project, as both Kick-Ass helmer Matthew Vaughn and John Wick duo David Leitch and Chad Stahelski were previously rumored to direct. Bloodshot will follow a mortally wounded soldier brought back to life with cutting-edge nanotechnology, and tasked with rounding up super-powered outcasts known as “harbingers.” During its comic book run, Bloodshot amassed 110 issues with more than 7.5 millions copies sold.

Kebbell may be flying under the radar at the moment. But with a key role in Bloodshot, fans will likely come to know the actor and his extensive, impressive work very soon. Kebbell’s past projects have generally either been less than successful or retained a measure of success, but not seen Kebbell at the forefront of that acclaim. With a film like Bloodshot, Kebbell will tap into a whole new fan base who have been devoted to that particular comic. Working alongside big stars like Vin Diesel and Michael Sheen could also prove to be a boost for him too, once the film begins marketing and sets a date for release. In the near future, Toby Kebbell could well become a household name.

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Bloodshot will be directed by Dave Wilson, Deadpool director Tim Miller’s partner at Blur Studio, with a script by Oscar-nominated Arrival screenwriter Eric Heisserer. Deadline has described the film as being “in the tone of the classic 1980s tentpoles like Robocop, Terminator and Total Recall,” which sounds good to us. Naturally, Sony is eyeing the sci-fi series as its next cinematic franchise. The studio already has plans in place to expand the film into a shared universe built around other Valiant comic book characters.

Sony hopes to start shooting Bloodshot in July. There is no release date yet set.

(Excerpts) Read More at: SlashFilm.com and ScreenRant.com