MAN ON FIRE. (L to R) Billie Boullet as Poe Rayburn and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as John Creasy in Episode 105 of Man on Fire. Cr. Juan Rosas/Netflix © 2024
Netflix’s adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s Man on Fire – previously adapted in two feature films, one by the late Tony Scott in 2004 – released on 30 April, capping off a month of varied original programming. The gritty action thriller, as in the films and books, followed John Creasy, a soldier suffering from PTSD and alcoholism as the result of a mission gone wrong. In the Netflix show, Creasy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a contractor for the CIA (in the books, he’s a part of the French Foreign Legion). Every version of John Creasy ends up being the protector of a teenage girl: in the Netflix series, it’s Poe, the teenage daughter of Creasy’s old military buddy, Paul Rayburn.
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
After Paul and the rest of his family are killed in a bombing, John Creasy takes on a personal mission of vengeance against the mysterious attackers, while keeping Poe out of harm’s way: she’s a key witness to the bombing, so her life remains in danger. The series follows the two as they trace the conspiracy through gangs in Rio de Janeiro up to the higher echelons of the CIA and the Brazilian government, ending in the revelation that another old CIA co-worker, Henry Tappan (Scoot McNairy) had betrayed him. After the conflict is resolved, Creasy gets an invite from his old CIA boss as a way of recompense for Tappan’s actions: specifically, a chance to also get revenge on the operatives in Mexico City, who killed Creasy’s team at the beginning of the series.
Man on Fire Season 2 Renewal Status
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Pending
At the time of writing, Netflix has not yet announced the renewal of Man on Fire.
How is Man on Fire performing on Netflix?
According to early viewing data from FlixPatrol, the series has already rocketed to the top of the charts worldwide. As of its first weekend, Man on Fire is the #1 show in nearly 50 countries, including major markets like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and South Africa. Fittingly, it has also secured the #1 spot in both Brazil and Mexico—the respective settings of the show’s first season and Creasy’s traumatic past. In major English-speaking markets like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, the gritty thriller has debuted incredibly strong, holding comfortably at the #2 spot.
Note that we will get a much clearer picture of the show’s global performance when Netflix’s official, full first-weekend numbers are released on May 5th.
MAN ON FIRE. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as John Creasy in Episode 102 of Man on Fire. Cr. Guilherme Leporace/Netflix © 2024
What to expect from Man on Fire Season 2?
A return to Mexico City
A second season of Man of Fire seems possible – Abdul-Mateen, in an interview with Decider, played coy about whether or not the show will move forward, saying “Without giving away everything about the about the show, I think it’s always nice to be able to potentially peer forward into the future,” highlighting that the door had been left open for more stories.
Though Creasy has now wrapped up his story with Poe (by the skin of his teeth) and the unlikely ensemble of allies gained throughout the season, his personal turmoil wasn’t fully resolved. His call from the CIA highlighted as much, that there are still people he needs to confront if he’s to move forward. All signs point to a second season revolving around a revisitation of John Creasy’s initial trauma as shown in the first episode, confronting the people responsible for the death of his team in Mexico City. So, expect an exploration of conspiracy and corruption in Mexico, as opposed to Rio de Janeiro.
“Flashes of the old Creasy”: What the cast and crew are saying
While we wait for the official green light, the series’ creative team is already hinting at how John Creasy will evolve in a potential second season. In an interview with Netflix breaking down the season 1 finale, Abdul-Mateen expressed excitement at exploring this pre-trauma era of the character. “I would like to see some flashes of the old Creasy before the incident,” the actor said. “I would like to see him more in his element in a charming type of way, because he’s definitely got that to him, but he also has this dangerous quality that I think is important for Creasy to keep.”
Showrunner Kyle Killen also noted that Creasy’s worldview has fundamentally shifted. Throughout the first season, Creasy viewed people as “puzzles” to excuse his inability to get close to them. After watching the villainous Tappen operate with that same detached, geopolitical sociopathy, Creasy realizes that such a mindset is “toxic for your soul.” Going into Season 2, fans can expect a Creasy who is no longer running from connection.
Will Poe return?
Season 1 ends with Poe safely living with her grandmother, finally finding a way to look at her past without letting regret swallow her whole. Killen told Netflix that Creasy and Poe’s bond worked so well because “she’s turning into him,” suffering from the exact same flavor of PTSD that sidelined Creasy before the events of the series. While Creasy’s mission points toward Mexico City, his newfound role as a father figure to Poe gave him “a reason to live,” according to Abdul-Mateen. Even if Poe isn’t caught in the direct line of fire next season, it is highly likely she will remain Creasy’s anchor back home.
MAN ON FIRE. (L to R) Daniel Xavier as Bacca, Iago Xavier as Vico, and Reinaldo Junior as Duda in Episode 104 of Man on Fire. Cr. Juan Rosas/Netflix © 2024
What about the rest of the team?
Creasy and Poe’s band of allies, including the cab driver Melo (Alice Braga) and her friends from the favelas, ended the season as national heroes, credited with halting the Brazilian president’s conspiracy to secure more power through the false flag operation of the condominium bombing. In the final episode Melo decides to stay in Rio as opposed to her initial plans to leave with her daughter, so while it’s possible that these characters may return in some capacity, a new cast of allies seems more likely.
More of the books!
Man on Fire is, of course, the first in a series of novels by the writer known as A.J. Quinnell (a pen name) – just one of five, in fact. Part of the pitch of this particular take on Man on Fire is that it also partially adapts the sequel novel, The Perfect Kill, and there’s more material to work from still. That includes 1993’s The Blue Ring, set in the Mediterranean, where Creasy takes on another criminal cartel (apparently, also Satanists) from which the book gets its name. There’s Black Horn (1994), which takes him through Zambia and Zimbabwe and a criminal connection to Hong Kong, and finally Message From Hell (1996), where Creasy travels to Vietnam and Cambodia and finds himself the subject of someone else’s revenge mission. That’s to say that there are many directions in which a follow-up season of Man on Fire could go, both in terms of plot and location.
Given that the series takes a little more creative license with the details, like moving the plot to Rio and changing the subjects of the attempted murder and kidnapping, it’s unlikely that any of this will be a 1:1 adaptation, especially as the context of the Quinnell books is quite different.
We’ll keep this article updated in the coming weeks with anything new said by the cast and crew plus all the viewership data as and when it comes in. Did you enjoy Man on Fire? Do you want it to come back for season 2? Let us know in the comments.
