One of John Wick's best characters is fictional — with a very fitting director

If you want to add a sense of legitimacy and an unparalleled cool factor to your action franchise, Donnie Yen is your choice. If you want to take full advantage of the legendary Hong Kong action star's talents, hire him as director for franchising your operations. Leave it to the “John Wick” property to perhaps combine the best of both worlds its upcoming spinoff centered around Jen's super-cool, scene-stealing assassin Kane from “John Wick: Chapter 4.”

It easily takes the title of the most exciting news of the day, thanks Collider. In a recent interview with the publication, Jens promoted his work as both director and host of his latest film, The Prosecutor, which hits select theaters later this month. But of course the subject of “John Wick” came up. Jena went ahead and heavily questioned interviewer Steve Weintraub, who revealed that he heard directly from “John Wick” director Chad Stahelsky that there had been discussions about putting Jena in the director's chair. So what did the actor have to say? As he explained:

“It's true. I think both the fans and the studio want it to happen and we'll see (…) I can only tell you this much. But yes, we're talking and we're intimately talking, we'll see what will happen.

For those who may not remember, the blind assassin Kane began the film as an antagonist on a reluctant mission to bring Vic's head to a platter… only to end it as an ally, completing one of the coolest arcs of any character in the film. the entire franchise. A post-credits scene featuring Kane and revenge-seeking assassin Akira (played by pop sensation Rina Saveyama) seemed to set up a potential stand-alone movie. Now we've got our biggest update yet, and that almost single-handedly makes the project feel even more like a must-see event.

While we wait to see if there will be a fifth “John Wick” movie or not (after the last update it seemed vaguely “developed” (though there's been little movement since then), fans are at least looking forward to another highly-anticipated movie possibly becoming a reality. If these talks continue to move forward and result in an actual deal, well, it's safe to say we could be in for the most exciting installment of the franchise yet. There was already a prequel streaming series centered around Ian McShane's enigmatic hotel manager Winston Scott (I reviewed “The Continental” /Filmai and it wasn't very good), and there's another exceptional set coming this year in the form of Ana de Armas' From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. But both pale in comparison to the Yen-led Kane movie, if you ask me.

That there is any Of course, the excitement surrounding this mysterious difference is telling how much effort Donnie Yen put into Kane's character and how warmly he was received by the audience after the release of the movie “Chapter 4”. In an interview with Collider, Jens went on to describe how he's well aware of the pressure that comes with something as beloved as the John Wick movies, and he has no intention of letting anyone down:

“(…) I take the responsibility and the pressure that I don't want to ruin the franchise. I'm trying to do my best to bring something fresh to the franchise itself. I don't want to lower the expectations of the fans, I'm trying to do the best I can, as always.

Fans looking to get a sense of Yen's directorial prowess have seen their fair share of Chinese-language films from the late 1990s and early 2000s, but one to keep an eye on would be the upcoming The Prosecutor, which Yen claims that “really reflects the kind of director I am.” The film will hit theaters in limited release on January 10, 2025. Stay tuned to /Film for more updates!