'John Wick' Writer And Sterling K. Brown Team For 'Coyote Blue' Action Thriller At Amazon
Amazon Studios has won the rights to the developing action thriller, Coyote Blue. The movie will be penned by John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad and will star This Is Us actor Sterling K. Brown.
An Everyman With A "Lethal Set of Skills"
While the project is still in the pitch phase, Variety describes the film as follows:
"The story revolves around an everyman (Brown) who's hunted by a ruthless criminal syndicate for his mysterious cargo, and now must navigate the treacherous terrain of Route 66 while unleashing his lethal set of skills in a fight for survival."
How "Everyman" will Brown's character will be? While the Coyote Blue synopsis calls Brown an "Everyman," it also says he has a lethal set of skills." But can an "Everyman" really have lethal abilities? If the story comes from the mind of the John Wick writer, I suppose so.
If anyone can pull off being an average guy with a very specific set of murder skills, Brown can. The two-time Emmy Award-winning actor has played memorable roles from features like Black Panther to starring as Randall Pearson on the TV show, This Is Us. He also took on the role of Leo McGarry in the recent West Wing special, as John Spencer sadly passed away in 2005. Brown is also a producer on the film along with Danielle Reardon via Indian Meadows Productions. Kolstad is also producing under company, Tradecraft, along with Dmitri M. Johnson via dj2 Entertainment.
Hanelle M. Culpepper is on board to direct the film. While she has an impressive roster of television directing under her belt — credits include Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, NOS4A2, and the upcoming Anansi Boys — Coyote Blue will be her feature directing debut.
Another Potential Tentpole for Amazon
I'm excited to see how this movie turns out and, apparently, Amazon is too. The streaming platform won the bid in a competitive situation, another sign the company is diving into the feature space. Previous blockbuster efforts include this summer's The Tomorrow War, which did so well that Amazon has already greenlit a sequel. We don't know whether Coyote Blue will be another Amazon hit, of course. But given how popular John Wick is and the talent of Sterling and Culpepper, odds are good it will be a fun feature to watch.
No news yet on when Coyote Blue will make its way to Amazon. Given Kolstad has yet to write the script, however, it may be a while.