In 2017, J.D. Barker’s The Fourth Monkey hit shelves, quickly becoming a hit with readers, and kicked off his 4MK series. Sylvester Stallone‘s Balboa Productions is now working with Tales of the Walking Dead’s Channing Powell on a series adaptation.
Barker’s 4MK trilogy follows Chicago Detective Sam Porter as he seeks out the Four Monkey Killer. This serial killer has a terrifyingly strict moral code. Taking the saying “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” a bit too seriously… Since they remove the eyes, ears, and tongue of their victims.
However, this guy decides to add a new unspoken fourth commandment, “do no evil.” A rule the killer uses to expose and punish those guilty of corruption, through the people they love most.
Which 4MK Books Are Being Adapted?
This series is based on Barker’s original trilogy, which also includes The Fifth to Die and The Sixth Wicked Child. No word on whether his prequel trilogy will be adapted, but that kicks off on September 22 with The First Scarlet Door. Stallone and D. Matt Geller will executive produce alongside Powell, who will also showrun and write.
“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,” Stallone said in a statement.
“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,” Powell told Deadline. “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.”
We’ll keep you posted on updates about the 4MK series as the project develops.
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