Those reports of Wesley Snipes joining the cast may have turned out to be wide of the mark, but John Wick: Chapter 4 looks set to recruit an accomplished martial artist and action movie veteran anyway, now that Scott Adkins has entered talks to board the Keanu Reeves sequel.
Shooting kicked off just the other day, with the production beginning in Europe before heading over to Japan and then finishing up on the franchise’s home turf of New York City. So far, the ensemble has added Bill Skarsgård, Rina Sawayama and Shamier Anderson to a roster that includes returning faces Reeves, Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne, but Adkins will add an entirely different dimension given his extensive experience in roundhouse kicking people in the face, and he’ll be the third genuine badass making their franchise debut alongside Hiroyuki Sanada and Donnie Yen.
The 45 year-old might not be a household name, but he’s been firmly regarded as one of the VOD action circuit’s leading lights for a long time now and is more than capable and deserving of a substantial role in a high profile blockbuster. Adkins tends to get shunted into the background when he appears in major releases, though, having doubled for Ryan Reynolds during the third act of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, got his ass kicked in The Bourne Ultimatum and The Expendables 2, and played a one-note henchman in Doctor Strange.
Of course, there’s no guarantees that he’ll be anything more than glorified cannon fodder as Reeves’ legendary hitman punches, shoots and stabs his way through the criminal underworld once again, but we can at least guarantee Adkins will deliver big time when it comes to John Wick: Chapter 4‘s signature stylish set pieces.
