EXCLUSIVE: Iron Man and Children of Men writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are scripting Shadow Tiger, a film adaptation of Sharad Devarajan‘s comic book.
This marks the first time the Academy Award-nominated pair has returned to the superhero genre since penning Iron Man, which laid the foundations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They also are known for an Oscar nomination for work on Alfonso Cuarón on 2006 dystopian thriller Children of Men and have more recently created sci-fi series The Expanse. In March 2022, we revealed they were writing and exec producing a God of War adaptation for Prime Video.
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The live-action Shadow Tiger film is being independently developed and produced by Devarajan’s Graphic India through a new live-action production division. Devarajan, Fergus and Ostby are producing along with Graphic’s SVP Live Action, Sarena Khan.
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From exec and writer Devarajan, Graphic India’s ‘Shadow Tiger’ comic books are among the most influential to come out of India in recent years. Short-form episodic releases have reaches hundreds of millions of views.
The ‘Shadow Tiger’ comics tell the story of Rajan Shah, a brilliant young lawyer from humble beginnings, who sees his career destroyed when he challenges corruption in India’s legal system. His life takes an extraordinary turn when he inherits a billion-dollar empire and a mysterious power from the very man responsible for his parents’ death. Haunted by his complex past, he vows to protect the innocent and bring justice to those beyond the reach of the law.
“We’ve always loved international stories that can speak to audiences across cultures and borders,” screenwriters Fergus and Ostby said in a joint statement to Deadline. “‘Shadow Tiger’ felt like an ideal opportunity to do that, by returning to the roots of the superhero genre, namely that superheroes were meant to inspire ordinary people to fight injustice.”
“In creating ‘Shadow Tiger,’ my mission was to create a truly global superhero with uniquely Indian roots,” said Devarajan, who is CEO of Graphic India. “Having Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby on board is a game-changer — their work on Iron Man laid the foundation for a cinematic universe that has generated over $30B and transformed global entertainment. They’re the perfect writers to take ‘Shadow Tiger’ to the world, and I am honored they have chosen this character to mark their return to superheroes.”
Devarajan is known for co-creating Pavitr Prabhakar, the “Indian Spider-Man.” The character recently featured in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which has become the highest-grossing animated box office release in India’s cinema history.
Devarajan also worked with the late Marvel icon Stan Lee to co-create Chakra the Invincible. He is also known for creating The Legend of Hanuman, which has been a major breakout hit on Disney+ Hotstar in India over the past four years.
Fergus and Ostby are repped by CAA, Kaplan/Perrone, and Gochman Law Group.