Since the release of The Furious, director Kenji Tanigaki has become the new king of action cinema. After Hong Kong, Hollywood is poised to welcome him next.
Already out, The Furious is already a phenomenon for fans of acrobatic, jaw-dropping brawls (85/100 on Metacritic). At Écran Large, they’re singing its praises, and alongside City of Darkness (is it better than City of Darkness?) it finally yields a true heir to Gareth Evans’ The Raid. About time.
Niche de l’action hong-kongaise oblige, The Furious n’a pas obtenu l’immense succès qu’il mériterait (à date, 32 millions de dollars de recettes pour un budget de 20). Heureusement pour Kenji Tanigaki, Hollywood lui fait déjà de l’œil. Eh oui, un film américain se prépare pour la nouvelle coqueluche de l’action. Et un super comédien sera de la partie.
PETER ON THE GROUND
As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Kenji Tanigaki is set to direct another feature (an action-focused project, one imagines) entitled The Reckoner (a possible translation: “The Justicer”). The screenplay will be penned by Derek Kolstad, the man behind the first three John Wick entries, as well as Nobody and Normal. This isn’t surprising, given that all these action films are Hollywoodized (and more mainstream, therefore) takes on the recipe of The Raid.
But the announcement that truly whets the appetite is the casting of the excellent American actor Peter Dinklage. It’s fair to say we didn’t expect the Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones to appear in a film that — barring a surprise — looks set to be a full-throttle brawler, but it’s never too late for cinema to challenge our ableist assumptions with some hard-hitting jaw-cracking moments.
The Reckoner will be produced by Peter Dinklage (along with his Estuary Films) and Derek Kolstad themselves, as well as by AGBO, with Lionsgate backing the project. Executive producers will include Anthony and Joe Russo. Erin Westerman, President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, welcomed the budding venture:
“One of the most rewarding aspects of our business is discovering filmmakers with a singular voice, getting their work before a wide theater-going audience, and supporting them as they tackle projects with bigger scale and ambition. That’s precisely what excites us about Kenji Tanigaki. The Furious reveals a filmmaker with a unique talent; we’re thrilled to partner with AGBO to bring the world his bold vision for The Reckoner.”
Russo-Otstot, the Chief Creative Officer at AGBO, added:
“Derek Kolstad and Peter Dinklage have offered us an original universe: fresh, action-packed, and with real soul. From the moment we saw Kenji Tanigaki’s work on The Furious — with an approach to action that’s so distinctive and gripping — we knew he was the only director who could bring this vision to life. We’re thrilled to bring together this incredible talent pool with Lionsgate; their commitment to bold, character-driven cinema makes them the perfect partner for this project.”
One caveat, however: in the absence of any information about The Reckoner’s pitch, there’s no guarantee it’ll be an action movie. Still, it’s hard to imagine Hollywood wooing the director of The Furious and the writer of John Wick to make a teen romance.
We’ll almost certainly learn more in the coming months. In the meantime, action fans would be wise to rush to theaters to see The Furious, which has been in cinemas since June 10, 2026.
