Sylvester Stallone and Channing Powell Developing Serial Killer Series Based on ‘The Fourth Monkey’ Novels
Sylvester Stallone is teaming with Channing Powell (“The Walking Dead”) to develop a series adaptation of J.D. Barker‘s The Fourth Monkey novels through Balboa Productions, reports Deadline.
“Set in Chicago, Barker’s novels follow Detective Sam Porter as he hunts the elusive Four Monkey Killer, a murderer who has terrorized the city for years with a chilling and highly personal code of judgment. Guided by the maxim “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,” the killer removes the ears, eyes, and tongues of his victims, turning every crime scene into a ritualized message. But the true horror lies in the unspoken fourth commandment, “do no evil,” which reveals the killer’s deeper agenda: exposing hidden corruption by punishing the guilty through the people they love most.”
Well that sure sounds delightfully deranged. I need to read these books.
Powell will showrun, write, and executive produce alongside Stallone and D. Matt Geller.
Christian Bersani is overseeing the project for Balboa Productions.
Said Stallone, “J.D. Barker has created a world with enormous scale, real danger, a ruthless narrative engine, and the kind of mythology that is tailor-made for premium television. Channing Powell is not only a powerhouse writer and producer, but a true creator with a rare command of dark, character-driven storytelling, and she is exactly the right force to bring 4MK to the screen. This is the kind of property that audiences don’t just watch, but get pulled into, and it has all the makings of a series that can hit hard, travel globally, and leave a real mark.”
Added Powell, “What drew me to 4MK immediately was its intensity, its intelligence, and the way it keeps tightening the screws until you can barely breathe. Beneath the suspense is a story about guilt, justice, corruption, and the emotional wreckage people leave behind. J.D. Barker has created a world that is bold, dangerous, and deeply addictive, and Sylvester Stallone and the Balboa team provide the invaluable support needed to bring my adaptation to the screen, driving this series toward real scale.”
Continued Barker, “From the start, 4MK was designed to be a relentless, psychologically charged ride, one where every revelation cuts deeper, every secret carries a cost, and every character is forced to confront the darkest parts of themselves. Sylvester Stallone and the team at Balboa immediately saw the power, danger, and franchise potential in that world, and Channing brings exactly the kind of instinct for character, tension, and longform storytelling that can make it land with real force on screen. With this creative force, 4MK won’t just be gripping television, it will be the kind of series that gets under people’s skin and stays there. I couldn’t be more excited to see it come to life.”
Stallone is, of course, best known for his Rocky films, as well as Rambo, The Expendables, and countless others. Powell has been with “The Walking Dead” series since the beginning as both writer and producer.
There are currently three novels in The Fourth Monkey series, with the first of a prequel trilogy titled The First Scarlet Door, arriving September 22nd.
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