At San Diego Comic-Con 2025, the creatives behind Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls shared their passion for the graphic novel and plans for the film adaptation. Published earlier this summer and written by Rob Edwards, Defiant tells the story of Smalls, who escaped slavery by commandeering a Confederate ship and later became a Union Navy captain.
The Direct's David Thompson spoke with Legion M CEO Paul Scanlan, producer Marvin Jones, and Edwards, a writer of Captain America: Brave New World, about the status of Defiant going from graphic novel to live-action film.
Jones is not only a producer, but also a notable actor, voicing Tombstone in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and was previously connected to the (now cancelled) El Muerto movie.
Beyond unveiling their plans, the team emphasized the importance of authenticity, inspiration, and impact in telling Robert Smalls' story.
Edwards described how he "geeked out" with stacks of research to ground the narrative in truth, while Jones connected personally to Smalls' legacy through the mantra of "patience, persistence, and perseverance."
Meanwhile, Scanlan highlighted efforts to "get this book out into schools and libraries across the country," with Edwards adding that "everybody can be inspired by this story of a slave."
Keeping Robert Smalls' Story Authentic
"I Geeked Out And I Had A Stack Of Research..."
- The Direct: "How did you approach researching Robert Smalls' life for Defiant?"
Rob Edwards: Fortunately, they gave me Dr. Myisha Eatmon at Harvard, who's an African American Studies professor, and she was able to help me with all the context.
And then Michael Moore, whose great, great grandson [of Robert Smalls], was able to fill in the human stories.
And I geeked out and I had a stack of research. A lot that I couldn't fit into the graphic novel, but that's where you start. And then you try to tell the most human story you can.
And for me, it's a story about a guy who's trying to make a better life for his family. He knew that the wife's owner was going broke and was gonna probably try to sell off his son and he would never see them again. And so that moment became really important for him and I think that's a part of the story that everybody can relate to.
Bringing Robert Smalls to the Big Screen
"Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance. ..."
- The Direct: "What do you think your best or greatest addition to the film development process so far has been?"
Marvin Jones: The three words that come to mind when I think about Robert Smalls are patience, persistence and perseverance.
And I immediately saw that and related to that, because that's kind of like...that's the crux of my life. That's like the mantra, motto and motivation for me.
And all things that I do as an artist, as an actor, as a man, as a father, is because I try to lead with patience. I try to lead with persistence and then perseverance. So that's one thing that I bring and then, of course, all my resources, information and know how connections and all of that that come along with the business aspect of it, and then also creatively.
Defiant Being Taught in Classrooms
"Get This Book Out Into Schools And Libraries Across The Country..."
- The Direct: "Why is it important to share Robert Smalls' story with a wider audience, especially in schools and libraries?"
Paul Scanlan: We have a teacher's guide that we're producing. We're in discussions. We've already had school districts order like, hundreds of books...We're doing a special giveaway for if anyone's a teacher, and so it was a limited time, but any teacher could order a copy and get a free copy of the book, because it's really important to us that we that we get this book out into schools and libraries across the country.
"Everybody Can Be Inspired By This Story Of A Slave..."
Rob Edwards: It's a story that really needs to be told for many reasons. One is that it's just inspirational.
I have a friend who's the 70 year old white British guy. I gave him the graphic novel, and he says, 'I'm inspired by this. Am I supposed to be inspired by this?' And I said, 'Yes, yes, of course you are.' Everybody can be inspired by this story of a slave.
It's a story of a slave who goes to does amazing things against incredible it's a great story, no matter what it is, no matter who's in it. And so I'm really just thrilled to be a part of sharing it.
The full video interviews can be viewed here:
