John Wick: Chapter 4 secretly revealed what the next great video game adaptation will be through director Chad Stahelski: Ghost of Tsushima, Stahelski has been involved with all four John Wick movies, co-directing the first with David Leitch. Since then, Stahelski has directed every John Wick sequel, with each one receiving critical acclaim, especially the most recent John Wick: Chapter 4.
In 2021, shortly before filming began for John Wick: Chapter 4, it was announced that a film adaptation of the popular Sony video game Ghost of Tsushima was in development. Stahelski was attached as both director and producer, with a release date not set. While Ghost of Tsushima is still awaiting a release date, the finality of John Wick: Chapter 4's ending and Stahelski's insistence on taking a break from the franchise could mean the former is the director's next film, with the latter proving why it could be the next truly great video game adaptation.
John Wick 4's Amazingly Choreographed Action Is Perfect For Ghost Of Tsushima
The main reason why Ghost of Tsushima could shine is simply the amazing action on display in John Wick: Chapter 4. Despite being the fourth movie in an action franchise, John Wick 4 somehow managed to improve upon the action scenes of the prior movies. This was all done without making them stale, keeping every action sequence fresh, engaging, and original. This keen eye for action directing that Stahelski has proven to have since 2014 and the release of the first John Wick will only benefit Ghost of Tsushima.
Ghost of Tsushima's central story revolves around samurai Jin Sakai, who is seeking to defend his home of Tsushima from the Mongol invasion of Japan. This leads to tens of hours of gameplay in which Sakai drives back the Mongols, moving north up the island of Tsushima section by section. Naturally, this will be shortened for a film adaptation but still proves the need for plenty of action. This could easily become repetitive in film format, something that John Wick 4's fantastically choreographed action proves Stahelski avoids with ease.
John Wick 4 Proves Chad Stahelski Is Adept At Adapting Other Cultures
Another element of John Wick 4 that proves Stahelski is perfect for Ghost of Tsushima is the action sequence set in Osaka, Japan. With this scene, Stehelski makes it clear that he has no trouble adapting other cultures on screen. When Stahelski was announced as the director of Ghost of Tsushima, many were disappointed as they had hoped a Japanese director would helm the film. This argument certainly still holds a lot of merit and hopefully, plenty of the other crew have Japanese heritage in order to perfectly capture the world of Tsushima.
That being said, Stahelski has proven in John Wick 4 that he has not only an eye for adapting cultures other than American, but he can do it in a tasteful, satisfying way. The breathtaking scenery of the Continental Hotel in Osaka makes for some of the film's most visually stunning moments, and the fight scenes which pit the modern forces of the High Table against traditional Japanese weaponry are incredibly engaging. All of this just proves Stahelski could easily adapt the beautiful world of 13th-century Japan that is portrayed in the original Ghost of Tsushima game with relative simplicity.
John Wick 4’s Katana Fight Bodes Well For Ghost Of Tsushima
Similarly, the climactic action scene of the Osaka sequence in John Wick 4 further proves that Stahelski will do Ghost of Tsushima justice. The scene culminates in Donnie Yen's Caine facing off against Hiroyuki Sanada's Shimazu Koji in a duel to the death using Katana. The scene is fantastic and makes for one of the best fight scenes in a film chock-full of amazing action. Given that Ghost of Tsushima is set in 13th-century Japan, much of Jin Sakai's weaponry revolves solely around his Katana and bow and arrow.
This scene in John Wick 4 proves that Stahelski can easily choreograph the action that will be needed for Ghost of Tsushima. From the scenes in which the allies of Koji use bows and arrows against the High Table to the fight between Koji and Caine themselves, Stahelski can easily adapt to filming action set in ancient Japan. While the only worry will be elevating each fight scene to avoid the feeling of repetitiveness, the way Stahelski constantly one-ups each action sequence throughout the John Wick franchise should ease any doubts.
John Wick 4 Has Two Actors That Would Be Perfect For Ghost Of Tsushima
Finally, John Wick 4 actually features two actors of Japanese descent that would be perfect for the Ghost of Tsushima movie. The first is Rina Sawayama, who plays Akira, Koji's daughter and the concierge of the Osaka Continental. Despite a smaller amount of screen time than the other characters in the movie, Akira makes a big impression. Her action sequences are amazing; she often takes down multiple larger foes from the High Table with relative ease. Similarly, Stahelski positions Akira as a potential continuation of the John Wick franchise, which proves he values Sawayama as both an actor and stunt performer.
In of Ghost of Tsushima's characters, Sawayama would be perfect for the role of Yuna. In the game, Yuna is a thief who saves Jin Sakai's life at the beginning of the story and enables him to continue fighting against the Mongol invasion. Yuna aids Jin in his fight, proving to be loyal and capable in her own right despite her less-fortunate upbringing than Jin. Sawayama is a similar age to Yuna, and is certainly capable of performing the action sequences Yuna has while embodying the sympathetic nature of the character, both of which Sawayama proved with John Wick 4.
The other actor is Hiroyuki Sanada himself. Sanada is proficient in many forms of martial arts as he has proven throughout his illustrious career in both Japanese filmmaking and Hollywood. Outside of Sanada's obvious talent with martial artistry that would be needed for Ghost of Tsushima, his age aligns itself with one specific character from the game: Lord Shimura. Lord Shimura is the uncle of Jin Sakai and his father figure. Shimura is devout to the ways of the samurai and often clashes with Jin's tactics for taking back the island of Tsushima, stating that they lack the honorable code of the samurai.
Sanada would perfectly embody this character, not only through the similar age of both the actor and character but Shimura's dedication to the samurai. Sanada is knowledgeable in this also, having grown up in Japan and being familiar with the culture. This would make Sanada the perfect fit for Shimura, especially given the actor's work with Stahelski in John Wick 4. All of this only goes to prove why Stahelski is the perfect choice for the adaptation, as well as why John Wick: Chapter 4 secretly sets Ghost of Tsushima up to be the next great video game adaptation.
