The Killer 2’s Perfect New Villain For Michael Fassbender’s Assassin Repeats $1 Billion Action Franchise Strategy

The Netflix movie The Killer has received overwhelmingly positive reviews since it debuted on the streaming service last month, and while The Killer 2 has not officially been announced, a potential sequel could find the perfect new villain by following in the footsteps of a $1 billion action franchise. Releasing widely in November, The Killer follows Michael Fassbender as an assassin whose carefully curated world gets turned upside down, forcing him on a global hunt to set things right. The Killer‘s cast and director, David Fincher, created a sublime thriller with comedic elements that lends itself well to an ongoing story centered around the world of the titular assassin.

Even though The Killer 2 isn’t confirmed, the success of the movie on Netflix, and The Killer‘s adaptation from a graphic novel series, suggests it has the potential to become a franchise. Should Netflix and Fincher continue with the production of The Killer 2, there are several possible paths that the film could take. One of the most interesting and intriguing possibilities, however, could follow Michael Fassbender’s assassin uncovering and fighting a much larger and interconnected crime organization, somewhat emulating the arc of another popular assassin franchise.

The Killer’s “Retirement” Sets Up John Wick-Style Revenge Plot Against His Crime Organization In A Sequel

The ending of The Killer shows Michael Fassbender’s character ostensibly retired in the Dominican Republic, having consolidated his finances to take care of his partner Magdala, who was tortured after Fassbender failed in the Paris assassination. The Killer tracked down all parties responsible for Magdala’s injuries, eliminating them one at a time. These “Chapters” in The Killer establish that there is some large criminal organization of fixers and enforcers ready to act when a client needs services or when a mess needs cleaning. This organization’s similarity to The High Table in the John Wick franchise would make for the perfect catalyst for more Fincher films in this universe.

It’s unlikely that Fassbender can be officially retired after The Killer, and the crime organization he was working for could still demand that he repay his debts, sending him on a further revenge scheme to win his freedom. Evidenced by the fact that The Lawyer (Hodges), The Brute, and The Expert were all activated by The Client (Claybourne) to clean up the mess from Fassbender’s botched assassination attempt, it’s clear that in the world of hired killers, a death rarely means that a job is done. Considering the network of people that The Killer must work through in this film, a much larger organization could now be on the hunt for Fassbender’s The Killer character.

The Killer 2 Needs To Expand On Its Version Of John Wick’s High Table

The expansion of this large network in The Killer movie could serve as a way to keep building the world Fincher has built, similar to The High Table in the John Wick franchise, The Elder, and the Continental. Considering most of The Killer characters already have similar code names to the High Table, such as The Brute, The Lawyer, The Expert, The Director, and others, there are clearly more levels in the organization that a sequel to The Killer could expand on. It’s highly unlikely that Hodges, Fassbender’s former law professor who is also his contact for details on his jobs, is the top level of this network.

With a number of experts ready to jump into action when Fassbender misses his mark in Paris, that signals a highly organized syndicate that can cater not only to the requests of their clients but also ensures that any mistakes are cleaned up immediately. In a sequel, The Killer 2 could introduce a character similar to The High Elder in the John Wick franchise. The High Elder is the leader of The High Table and makes the decisions for that group. If a similar character were introduced in The Killer 2, they could send people to find The Killer after he eliminated so many people within the organization.

Netflix Making The Killer Its Own John Wick Franchise Can Redeem Previous Action Movie Misfires

In the past, Netflix has tried to kick-start a number of big action franchises, but none have been critically acclaimed or forced audience demand beyond the first film. The two Extraction films with Chris Hemsworth are the closest they’ve come, but other action movies such as The Gray Man, Heart of Stone, and Red Notice pale in comparison to the staying power of a franchise like John Wick or the critical acclaim of a movie like The Killer. Netflix has a critical and audience success story on its hands, and it should do everything it can to keep the momentum going.

Fincher has famously never made a sequel for any of his films, but he directed a successful sequel in another popular franchise with Alien 3. However, when Fincher addressed the possibility of a sequel to The Killer, he did not rule out the possibility of the character returning. Netflix should take that crack in the door that Fincher left with these comments and kick it wide open. Since Netflix is trying to be deliberate with original movie content and position itself as a major movie studio, establishing a popular action franchise should be at the top of its priority list after the positive reception to David Fincher’s latest film.