You might not immediately recognize the name of filmmaker Kenji Tanigaki, but if you’ve been paying attention to the action world this year, then you’ve undoubtedly heard about his work. Tanigaki directed The Furious, which first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and scored critical acclaim. Up through the movie’s official release last month, The Furious maintained a 100% positive review score on Rotten Tomatoes, an impressive feat for such a genre. Once it was unleashed on audiences, it fully lived up to expectations, blowing viewers away with its high-octane action.
Tanigaki has confirmed his follow-up movie, which sees him joining forces with actor Peter Dinklage and John Wick writer Derek Kolstad, called The Reckoner. While no official details about the movie’s plot have been revealed, Lionsgate described the movie as an “original action film.” Between Tanigaki’s proven abilities as a director and Kolstad’s proven skills as a writer, The Reckoner has immediately rocketed to the top of the list of most anticipated new thrillers.
Erin Westerman, president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, shared of the upcoming outing, “One of the most rewarding parts of what we do is discovering filmmakers with distinctive voices, bringing their work to wider theatrical audiences, and partnering with them as they take on projects of greater scale and ambition. That’s exactly what excites us about Kenji Tanigaki. The Furious showcases a singular filmmaking talent, and we’re thrilled to reunite with our friends at AGBO to bring his bold vision for The Reckoner to audiences worldwide.”
Just last month, producer Bill Kong hinted that a more direct continuation of The Furious could be on the way, revealing, “I can promise you one thing, that if there’s going to be a sequel, it will be a better film than the first one.” With the movie focusing on getting revenge against a ring of kidnappers, there’s likely a lot more organized crime to explore.
Angela Russo-Otstot, Chief Creative Officer, added, “Derek Kolstad and Peter Dinklage came to us with a world we hadn’t encountered before, original, action-packed, and with genuine soul. The moment we saw what Kenji Tanigaki did with The Furious, his take on action so unique and engaging we knew immediately he was the only director who could take this vision and bring it to life. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing this remarkable collection of talent together with Lionsgate, whose commitment to bold, character-driven filmmaking makes them the perfect partner for this project.”
Dinklage has dozens of notable roles to his name, but it was his work as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones that really solidified his skills. The Reckoner is just the latest genre effort he’s added to his credits, as he’s currently filming Season 2 of Alien: Earth and last year starred in the horror-comedy reboot The Toxic Avenger.