EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has closed a deal with Vin Diesel to star in the studio’s sci-fi/action movie Bloodshot, an adaptation of the Valiant comic book series. Dave Wilson, the longtime collaborator of Deadpool and the upcoming Terminator reboot helmer Tim Miller and creative director at their Blur Studios, is aboard make his feature directing debut with the script from Oscar-nominated Arrival scribe Eric Heisserer. We’re hearing the pic will be in the tone of the classic 1980s tentpoles like Robocop, Terminator and Total Recall. Sony is being aggressive with this one, a franchise play, and principal photography starts in July.

Wilson Courtesy photo

The deal reunites Diesel with his Fast and the Furious producer Neal H. Moritz, who is producing alongside Toby Jaffe and Dinesh Shamdasani. Matthew Vaughn and Dan Mintz are executive producers. Andrea Giannetti will oversee for Sony.

Bloodshot is a central character in the Valiant Expanded Universe, composed of thousands of characters embodying various genres, tones and demographic groups — ordinary people in extraordinary situations rather than gods and demi-gods.

The Bloodshot series, comprised of more 110 issues with more than 7.5 million copies sold, centers on Ray Garrison, aka Bloodshot. Brought back from the dead by Rising Spirit Technologies through the use of nanotechnology and suffering total memory loss, Ray struggles to reconnect with who he was while learning what sort of weapon he has become, with the help of a group of other augmented combatants (called Chainsaw).

Diesel, who goes hand in hand with action franchises from Fast and Furious and xXx to Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy, is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Wilson is repped by ICM Partners and 3 Arts, and Heiserer by WME.