Don Cheadle Is Making A Series About Deranged Superfans
Don Cheadle is joining a series adapting the Image Comics series Rogues' Gallery.
Don Cheadle, known for a variety of roles including Iron Man‘s friend War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has a new superhero project of a different type. Deadline reports that his production company, This Radicle Act, has optioned Rogues’ Gallery, an Image Comics series by Hannah May Rose, and is planning on making a TV show out of the story. The story is about toxic fandom and how life and art can sometimes blur into obscurity when fans get carried away.
The story follows Maisie Wade, an actress who played a superhero named the Red Rogue but recently quit the role. Her departure ends the show she was on, much to the dismay of its fans, who seek their revenge upon her by dressing up as the show’s supervillains and trapping her inside her home. She is forced to survive and become the hero she left behind.
The first five pages, which includes the cover art, of each of the comic’s four issues can be found on Image Comics’ website and hints at another goal among the angry fans – the “liberation” of a signed edition of the first Red Rogue comic, which Maisie had purchased after leaving the show. The toxic superfans express resentment for Maisie’s interference with the show’s production, her leaving the show, her ownership of the coveted signed first edition, and what they claim was a terrible finale to end the series.
May’s project resonates in a world where toxic fans have overtaken their fandoms, such as the bullying of Kelly-Marie Tran of the Star Wars universe or the confrontation between Captain Marvel fans and those of Battle Angel Alita. Don Cheadle, as part of the MCU, is no stranger to popular properties with a lot of fans. The MCU spans 29 films, including standalone superhero movies and ensemble epics such as The Avengers.
Hannah Rose May herself has appeared in Altered Carbon and continues to act as well as create comics and graphic novels. She is an Irish actress and writer known for sharp social commentary and characters that defy gender norms. Rogues’ Gallery is her first endeavor into comics and features the artwork of Justin Mason and Declan Shalvey.
Rogues’ Gallery #1 was released this past summer by Image Comics. The television series will be produced by May, Don Cheadle, Karen Smith-Forge, and This Radicle Act. Preproduction has not begun, as the option for the series is brand-new.
Don Cheadle is known for a variety of projects beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Ocean’s Eleven movies, a series of Captain Planet parody videos, and the television series Picket Fences. He was nominated for an Oscar for Hotel Rwanda and also appeared in awards heavy features such as Crash. He has also been nominated for numerous Emmys.
More recently, Don Cheadle lent his voice to two projects addressing racism and slavery. He was the narrator on the reboot of The Wonder Years and also narrated a documentary about the Atlantic slave trade. He has also reprised his role as James Rhodes, aka War Machine, for two Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, Secret Invasion and Armor Wars, both due for television release in 2023.
With all his superhero and action experience, as well as his involvement in projects tackling social issues, Don Cheadle’s interest in Rogues’ Gallery is another entry into a long line of respectable projects.
