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Man on Fire is an American action thriller television series loosely based on the 1980 novel by A. J. Quinnell. Originally set in Italy/Malta by Quinnell, this series takes place in modern-day Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Kyle Killen is the showrunner and an executive producer of the series, which stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an ex-mercenary out for revenge.
The series consists of seven episodes and was released on Netflix on April 30, 2026. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Contents
Premise
John Creasy is a former U.S. Army Special Forces Captain, who after leaving the military did contract work for the CIA. On his last assignment in Mexico City, his entire team was ambushed and killed. Four years later, Creasy is suffering from PTSD, drinks heavily and works in a warehouse. After a suicide attempt, his friend Rayburn recruits him to a security assignment in Brazil. Shortly after arriving in country, a bomb detonates killing Rayburn and his entire family with the exception of their daughter Poe. Creasy then embarks on a revenge spree against the people who committed the bombing leading him to uncover a major conspiracy.
Cast
Main
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as John Creasy, a former U.S. Army Special Forces Captain
Billie Boullet as Poe Rayburn, Paul's eldest daughter
Scoot McNairy as Henry Tappan, Senior Officer at the CIA
Alice Braga as Valeria Melo, a professional driver who becomes Creasy's friend and confidant
Special Guest
Bobby Cannavale as Paul Rayburn, Creasy's friend, and a former U.S. Army officer
Recurring
Paul Ben-Victor as Moncrief, Director of the CIA
Billy Blanco Jr as João Carmo, the President of Brazil
Thomás Aquino as Prado Soares, Head of Security for Carmo
Ismael Caneppele as Osmar
Iago Xavier as Vico
Jefferson Baptista as Livro
Bruno Suzano as Beto
Alex Ozerov-Meyer as Ivan
Ravel Cabral as Emanuel Ferraz
Elzio Vieira as Tiago
Production
Development
Netflix ordered a new adaptation of Man on Fire by A. J. Quinnell in March 2023 from New Regency Productions and Chernin Entertainment. After having been previously adapted for film in 1987 and in 2004, this adaptation would be a television series that would also adapt the follow-up novel The Perfect Kill. Series creator Kyle Killen was hired as the showrunner and writer while also serving as an executive producer.
Casting
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as the lead in June 2024, and Steven Caple Jr. was hired to direct the first two episodes. Both of them joined the series as executive producers alongside Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook, Scott Pennington, Ed McDonnell, Michael Polaire, and Stacy Perskie. Additional cast members were announced through October 2024, including Billie Boullet, Bobby Cannavale, Alice Braga, Scoot McNairy, and Paul Ben-Victor.
Filming
The series was shot in Mexico City where Abdul-Mateen was injured on set, forcing a brief production pause. Max Aruj composed the score for the series.
Release
Man on Fire was released on Netflix on April 30, 2026.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 58% approval rating based on 36 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "Man on Fire mostly punches above its weight in a television adaptation that touches on new emotional and action-packed heights, despite its narrative pitfalls, thanks to the devoted and unflinching performance by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 61 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.