Netflix and British producer RedRum halted production on its comics-based TV series "The Chosen One" after two actors were killed and six other members of the cast and crew were injured, according to a person with knowledge of the production who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The Baja California state Ministry of Culture identified the deceased Friday as Raymundo Garduño Cruz and Juan Francisco González Aguilar. They died Thursday after the van in which they were riding crashed on the Baja California Sur peninsula in Mexico.
Neither Netflix nor RedRum would comment on the crash Saturday.
Previously called "American Jesus," the show was one of the latest adaptions from Netflix's 2017 acquisition of comic book company Millarworld, a deal it pursued to expand its superhero credentials. The intention was to adapt characters from the publisher's titles into movies, series and kids' shows to run on Netflix. The deal was Netflix's first takeover.
Netflix describes "The Chosen One" as a multilingual series in Spanish and English and based on the story of a 12-year-old boy who suddenly discovers he's returned as Jesus Christ, destined to save humankind. It is based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Peter Gross. The streaming giant called it a Mexican fantasy show.
"He can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk, and, perhaps, even raise the dead! How will he deal with the destiny to lead the world in a conflict thousands of years in the making?" Netflix said in a 2018 press release about its upcoming slate of adaptations.
The original "American Jesus" comic has the 12-year-old survive a freak accident before dealing with his destiny to lead the world through a conflict "that's been thousands of years in the making."
Everardo Gout, whose directing credits include Marvel's "Luke Cage," and Leopoldo Gout, whose producing credits including "Molly's Game," were named co-showrunners and executive producers. Gout was directing. Shooting started in Mexico on April 25, according to a tweet from Millarworld.
"The Chosen One" would follow Netflix's Millarworld adaption "Jupiter's Legacy," featuring Josh Duhamel, which had its first season on the streaming platform.
Millarworld was launched in 2004 by Millar, a Scottish comic book author. Some of the publisher's graphic novels, including "Kick-Ass," "Wanted" and "Kingsman," have already been turned into movies by other major studios.
The show is not to be confused with Netflix's other series called "The Chosen One," which is a Portuguese supernatural thriller about doctors trying to bring a Zika-virus vaccine to a remote Brazilian village.
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