Donnie Yen is reportedly in talks to direct the John Wick Caine spinoff, and his movie Sakra shows why he is the perfect person to do so. When Donnie Yen played the John Wick franchise’s blind ᴀssᴀssin, Caine, the character soon became a fan favorite, almost stealing the show from John Wick himself. Caine is one of the strongest characters in the John Wick movies, and his nearly supernatural fighting ability made him the perfect candidate for a spin-off. While the franchise director, Chad Stahelski was expected to direct the project, this may not be the case.
It appears that Donnie Yen may direct John Wick‘s Caine spinoff, which is exciting news, as Yen’s experience in both acting and directing makes him a great candidate for the role. Donnie Yen’s best movies make use of his decades of martial arts experience, and the most recent movies directed by Yen have received positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Prosecutor receiving a 90% positive rating. That said, one of Yen’s martial arts wuxia movies is likely to become a classic and proves that he is the perfect choice to direct the Caine spinoff.
Sakra Proves Donnie Yen Would Be The Perfect Choice To Direct John Wick’s Caine Spinoff
A Donnie Yen-Directed John Wick Spinoff Could Include Sakra’s Wuxia Elements
Sakra is one of Donnie Yen’s most underrated movies, and stars Yen himself as a martial arts expert who is falsely accused of murder. Sakra features some of the most important elements of the John Wick series: a compelling personal quest and awe-inspiring action sequences, while being extremely different from John Wick. The movie includes fantastical wuxia elements in its fight scenes, while being set in a much earlier time. Sakra proves that while Yen already has the martial arts and storytelling ability to direct the Caine spinoff, he can offer something new and exciting to the John Wick saga.
The John Wick saga is heavily inspired by wuxia movies.
Wuxia movies are known for their dynamic action and fantasy elements, like having protagonists fire energy bolts out of their hands during fights. While John Wick has not gone all the way into fantasy yet, the John Wick saga is heavily inspired by wuxia movies, with the radio station in Chapter 4 being called WUXIA as an Easter egg. A spinoff that focuses on Caine could include more wuxia references in a nod to Yen’s experience with movies like Sakra. Fantastical sequences like the ones in Sakra could be used to differentiate Yen’s spinoff from the rest of the saga.
Yen’s The Prosecutor Also Shows Why He Should Direct The Caine Spinoff
Donnie Yen Could Attract More Martial Arts Stars To The John Wick Franchise
Yen took a 19-year break from directing before Sakra, and his return has been explosive, with Sakra destined to become a martial arts classic. His following movie, The Prosecutor, was also a critical success and shows that Yen should direct John Wick‘s Caine spinoff. The Prosecutor is about a former prosecutor who helps a young man who has been falsely accused of drug trafficking. The movie contains more of Yen’s signature action sequences but with the grittier feel of the John Wick movies, which proves that Yen can adopt the franchise style while putting his own interpretation on it.
The John Wick movies feature several martial arts stars, but Yen is arguably the biggest name. Donnie Yen has fought many action icons, and his presence as the star and director of a Caine spinoff could attract more to the John Wick franchise. Sakra was nominated for Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards, and a Donnie Yen-directed John Wick movie will certainly feature some spectacular martial arts battles. This leaves roles open for some of the biggest names in martial arts, and after Donnie Yen’s success with Sakra, he could choreograph some of John Wick‘s best fights yet.
