Lionsgate may have finally found the heir apparent to the John Wick franchise. Debuting in 2014, John Wick was an unmitigated success for Lionsgate, who distributed the Thunder Road Pictures and 87Eleven Productions collaboration through their Summit Entertainment label. Since then, the film has spawned several sequels and spin-offs, including the upcoming Ballerina starring Ana de Armas. Lionsgate has also released several other action films in a similar vein, including Boy Kills World and upcoming fare like The Crow, Borderlands, and 1992.

As reported by Deadline, Lionsgate is now set to distribute a new foreign action film that’s been racking up rave reviews from film festivals, with critics actively comparing it to other modern action classics. The film has the studio so excited that they’ve already signed on for an American remake with John Wick director Chad Stahelski as a producer. This continues a trend in recent films that have seen the subject of global filmmaking receiving more attention from Western audiences which could continue to shape the future of the action genre.

Kill Looks Like A Hindi-Language John Wick

Kill Already Looks Like A Blockbuster Action Fans Can’t Miss

Kill looks like the Hindi-language answer to John Wick, with the already confirmed remake from Lionsgate poised to give the company a true successor to the Keanu Reeves-led franchise. Premiering at 2023’s Toronto International Film Festival, Kill was written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat. The film initially sets itself up as a love story, with commando Amrit (Lakshya) and his lover Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) on a fateful train ride. However, their trip is interrupted by a gang of thieves, led by Fani (Raghav Juyal).

The claustrophobic setting quickly proves to be ideal for Amrit’s skill set, allowing him to fight his way through the gang to save Tulika. The fast-paced action seen in Kill‘s trailer for the film is brutal, swift, and memorable. Early reviews have compared it to cult classics like The Raid, calling Kill one of the year’s best action movies. On top of releasing the original film in North America in association with Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate has announced that their next collaboration with 87Eleven Entertainment, the production company behind the John Wick films, will be an English-language remake of Kill.

Monkey Man & RRR Have Shown There’s An Appetite For Indian Action Movies

Indian Action Movies Are Having A Moment

Increasingly, western filmmakers have proven willing to look to international avenues for inspiration. This includes largely Hindi-language nations like India, which has its own history of film production. Recent years have highlighted this trend, showcasing how Indian culture and imagery can whet audiences’ action appetites from around the world. Monkey Man was a Western-produced film that utilized imagery and themes related to modern-day India, bringing a fresh cultural approach to hard-hitting action. Nag Ashwin’s upcoming sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD has also been earning early rave reviews.

Director S. S. Rajamouli has proven particularly adept with the genre, utilizing the legacy of Bollywood while showcasing a keen eye for action spectacle. The Indian Telugu-language two-part epic Baahubali was such a global smash, that it’s getting a Netflix-produced prequel series. Meanwhile, the Academy Award-winning RRR stands out as one of the most exciting action films of the last five years. Increasingly, Indian action movies are finding audiences in the western hemisphere, which is part of an exciting trend that speaks to the universal reach of filmmaking and how it can influence storytelling across the world.

Kill Could Be The Key To Action Cinema’s Future

How Kill Continues An Exciting Trend In Global Filmmaking

Kill highlights how this trend is carrying on through 2024, and how it could impact the future of action cinema. In past years, other global cultures have seeped into the action cinema output. Chinese movie stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Donnie Yen balanced careers across the world as well as in Hollywood. A similar trend could easily carry over to Hindi and Indian Telugu-language movie stars, with actors like Lakshya, Prabhas, Ram Charan, and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. having plenty of potential to become crossover stars given the right material.

An American-produced remake of Kill going into development suggests a clear confidence in the source material. Western filmmakers should keep the Indian setting and elements, incorporating their unique flavor into a film that plays with universal themes of enduring love and resistance in the face of danger. Even taking the broad action of films like RRR and fusing them with the bone-breaking violence of John Wick could be a winning combination, something early reviews for Kill suggest is the case. Kill could be the ultimate proof that more international experimentation is exactly what the action genre needs.

Source: Deadline