Hiroyuki Sanada in “Mortal Kombat” (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Deadline is reporting that the next chapter of John Wick will have Hiroyuki Sanada on board for the cast. This a big, major development that’s likely been waiting to happen since prior to the third film’s shoot when That Hashtag Show first gave rise to rumors of the actor’s involvement in January 2018. It was definitely an exciting prospect that finally looks to be a reality for fans of the hit assassin franchise.
At any rate, the move marks a long-awaited reunion for the actor alongside 47 Ronin cohort Keanu Reeves who leads the franchise for a fourth and hopefully fifth outing as hyped in previous interviews from director Chad Stahelski. For relative fans of Asian movies and action films, Sanada is best known for his staunch 55-year career starring for directors such as Teruo Ishii, Kinji Fukusaku, Yoji Yamada and Corey Yuen among others; Western audiences know better the actor since his breakout role supporting Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, as well as in Speed Racer, Rush Hour 3, The Wolverine, HBO series Westworld, Avengers: Endgame, Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat, and Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead, and David Leitch’s upcoming actioner Bullet Train to name a few.
Details are nil about the plot or the role Sanada will play, but with a cast that ultimately joins him with the likes of Donnie Yen, you can’t really cry much here knowing the fan service will just ante up every which way…
Stahelski said, “Having long admired Hiroyuki as both actor and action performer, I’m thrilled and honored to welcome him to the John Wick family.”
Deadline
The current cast roster also includes Rina Sawayama, and Shamier Anderson, with Shay Hatten and Michael Finch in charge of scripting duties ahead of the film’s May 27, 2022 release.
