After raising the bar for action cinema, The Furious director Kenji Tanigaki is ready to embark on his next original feature. Titled The Reckoner, it will be written by Derek Kolstad, best known for his work on John Wick, with Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) attached to star.
The duo, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is also set to produce the project, alongside Angela Russo-Otstot, Michael Disco, Kassee Whiting and David Ginsberg. Anthony and Joe Russo are executive producing under their ABGO banner, while James Myers and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee for Lionsgate. Additional details, including a release date or plot specifics, have yet to be announced.
“Derek Kolstad and Peter Dinklage came to us with a world we hadn’t encountered before, original, action-packed and with genuine soul. The moment we saw what Kenji Tanigaki did with The Furious, his take on action was so unique and engaging that we knew immediately he was the only director who could take this vision and bring it to life,” said Rysso-Ostot, chief creative officer at AGBO.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing this remarkable collection of talent together with Lionsgate, whose commitment to bold, character-driven filmmaking makes them the perfect partner for this project.”
The Reckoner is the latest collaboration between the two studios, coming after the upcoming John Rambo prequel film starring Noah Centineo and directed by Jalmari Helander of Sisu fame. While The Furious elevated Tanigaki to wider prominence, he already had a strong presence as an action choreographer and stunt coordinator, with credits in the Rurouni Kenshin live-action film adaptations, 2021’s Raging Fire, the Donnie Yen-led Sakra, and more.
As for The Furious, the action-thriller follows an ordinary man (Xie Miao) who, with journalist Navin’s (Joe Taslim) help, fights a criminal empire to rescue his kidnapped daughter (Yang Enyou). It was a critical success, earning US$6 million at the domestic box office and over US$31 million globally.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
