Derek Kolstad, the creator of John Wick, has been hired to write the script for the film adaptation of Just Cause. Robert Kulzer from Constantin Film and Adrian Askarieh from Prime Universe Films will together produce the picture with Kolstad, writer of all three films in the John Wick series.
The announcement comes only a day after Lionsgate revealed that John Wick 4 is planned to release on May 21 of 2021, following this past opening weekend of the third film in theaters. So far, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, has received overall positive reviews from critics and fans alike, and Kolstad’s involvement in this new franchise is a solid beginning for the project.
So far, the producers plan to begin the franchise based on the popular open-world action games that earned its name from a piece of American history. In 1989 the United States invaded Panama under the code-name Operation Just Cause. The current plan for the film, which is subject to change in the coming months, is to focus on the activities of Rico Rodriquez to prevent the mercenary group known as the Black Hand from completing their deadly objective. The film will begin filming in 2020.
Hiring Kolstad is a good sign that the parties involved are interested in the long-term success of the project as opposed to a quick cash grab, as video game to film adaptations have a long history of underperforming at the box office and generally being poorly made. Considering how well the recent Pokemon: Detective Pikachu from Warner Bros. has done, consumers may again have the confidence to support other entrants into the market.
In addition to the John Wick films, Kolstad also has written for the related projects released alongside each movie. He wrote for the VR video game, John Wick: Chronicles, available for PC and purchasable on Steam, and is consulting on the John Wick comic book series.
This is an interesting point regarding Kolstad because if the films are successful, there is an opportunity for crossing over into writing for the next games in the Just Cause series. As time goes on, it would be fascinating to see both film and games cross over in terms of story, and Kolstad may be the perfect individual to start the trend.