Mumbai: Graphic India, the leader in original Indian-themed character entertainment, announced today that acclaimed “Iron Man” and “Children of Men” scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, will script the live-action, English-language film adaptation of “Shadow Tiger,” based on the hit Graphic India comic book character created by Sharad Devarajan.
This marks the first return to the superhero genre for the Academy Award-nominated writers since the first “Iron Man” film for Marvel which established the foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to their acclaimed film work, Fergus and Ostby are also creators of the hit sci-fi series, “The Expanse,” and currently also writing and executive producing, the “God of War” series for Amazon.
Produced by Graphic India, Shadow Tiger is one of the most acclaimed comic books out of India in recent years. The superheroes' digital short-form episodic releases combined with social media fan engagement contests have reached over 330 million views across digital platforms.
“We’ve always loved international stories that can speak to audiences across cultures and borders. 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,” screenwriters Fergus and Ostby said in a joint statement.
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 parent's death. Haunted by his complex past, he vows to protect the innocent and bring justice to those beyond the reach of the law. With each act of justice, Shadow Tiger teeters on the precipice of becoming the very darkness he swore to fight. It is one thing to die for a cause, but another to kill for it.
“In creating Shadow Tiger, my mission was to create a truly global superhero with uniquely Indian roots. 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 $30 billion and transformed global entertainment. They're the perfect writers to take Shadow Tiger to the world, and I am honoured they have chosen this character to mark their return to superheroes," added Graphic India creator of Shadow Tiger and CEO Sharad Devarajan.
Devarajan previously co-created the “Indian Spider-Man”, Pavitr Prabhakar. That character was recently featured in the latest Spider-Man film, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” The film set a milestone in India becoming the highest-grossing animated theatrical film ever released in the country. Devarajan previously also worked with legendary creator Stan Lee to co-create, “Chakra The Invincible,” one of India’s most successful original superheroes.
Previously at Graphic India, Devarajan also co-created, wrote and produced the animated hit, “The Legend of Hanuman” which broke records as the most successful animated project in Indian history and reached #1 on the charts for Disney+Hotstar for each of the four seasons when released.
The live-action Shadow Tiger film is being independently developed and produced by Graphic India through its new live-action production division. Devarajan, Fergus and Ostby are producing along with Graphic’s SVP Live Action, Sarena Khan.
Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby are repped by CAA, Kaplan/Perrone, and Gochman Law Group.
