Now that season 1 has been released on Netflix, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reveals what the future holds for his gritty thriller Man on Fire.
In an interview with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan, Abdul-Mateen II admitted that he could see himself playing John Creasy for many more Man on Fire seasons. “This John Creasy is an incredible character,” he said, before explaining that he doesn’t “find it beneficial to myself to think about” whether a show like this will be renewed or canceled.
Yahya Abdulah Mateen about to blow something up in Man on Fire
He is excited by what he and the rest of the cast and crew delivered in season 1, but as far as what happens in the future, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Abdul-Mateen II added that while the thought has crossed his mind about returning to Man on Fire for another season, he acknowledged that there has to be a “good reason to do it.” He doesn’t just want to continue the series if the quality is lacking.
Fortunately, he’s been loving working on Man on Fire and is “excited to put that out into the world.”
“Could be him for a long time. [Laughs] Yeah, I actually have thought about it, which means that you got to find a good reason to do it, and you got to really, at least, like it. I always have to love everything I do, but you’ve got to at least like it. And this John Creasy is an incredible character. This has been an amazing opportunity, and who knows what’s going to happen with it? I don’t really find it beneficial to myself to think about that so much. But I’m excited about what we’ve made thus far, and excited to put that out into the world. And anything else happens, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
There have been multiple adaptations of A.J. Quinnell’s 1980 novel Man on Fire over the years, first starring Scott Glenn in 1987 and then with Denzel Washington in 2004.
Washington’s version, which earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination, grossed $130 million at the box office but received mostly negative reviews, with a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike the critics, though, Quinnell himself gave the film a positive review.
Now Netflix has adapted Quinnell’s story as a TV series, which was released on the popular streaming service on April 30 with a seven-episode premiere. Abdul-Mateen II’s Man on Fire character Creasy is a former Special Forces mercenary who gets pulled back into the action when he launches an act of revenge, all while experiencing PTSD. His co-stars on the show are Billie Boullet, Scoot McNairy, Alice Braga, Bobby Cannavale, and Paul Ben-Victor.
This is Abdul-Mateen II’s second series to be released this year. In January, Disney+ debuted the new Marvel show Wonder Man, which has already been renewed for season 2.
Man on Fire was created by Kyle Killen, who also wrote every script and serves as an executive producer with Abdul-Mateen II, Scott Pennington, Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook, Steven Caple Jr., Michael Polaire and Edward L. McDonnell.
The new Man on Fire adaptation earned more positive reception than the 2004 film and currently holds a 63% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. If the viewership numbers for season 1 lead to a renewal, there’s plenty of source material for Killen and his team to work with, since Quinnell wrote four sequels: The Perfect Kill, The Blue Ring, Black Horn, and Message From Hell.
Man on Fire is available to stream on Netflix.
Release Date
April 30, 2026
Network
Netflix
Showrunner
Kyle Killen
Directors
Steven Caple Jr., Vicente Amorim, Clare Kilner, Michael Cuesta
Writers
Kyle Killen