By: John M Jerva

It’s that time of year again. The stores are rumbling with holiday shoppers. Mom is baking cookies in the kitchen. Children are writing their letters to Santa and it’s time once again for my series of articles on what to get excited for in action cinema in 2022! Every year, I post the films that are on my radar and serve up some opinions as to why they should be on yours too. This coming year has some high-octane choices to choose from as well as some blockbusters that were delayed due to that whole COVID thing.

Just like last year, I post a special Must See Flix article that is all about the human highlight reel himself Scott Adkins. The action star ended 2021 with a bang as he released two films that satisfied the masses in One Shot and Castle Falls. It was a long year with no choices from Mr. Adkins but fortunately he swooped in at the eleventh hour to save the year for action fanatics that were hungry for some adrenaline pumping entertainment.

2022 is shaping up to be another stellar year for Adkins and fans and hopefully we won’t have to wait eleven months to see the man do his thing on screen. 2022 will see Adkins releasing four firepower and fisticuffs filled titles that will definitely excite all and there are even a few bigger budgeted movies that will hopefully bring the action star into the mainstream light even more. So, without further ado, here’s my first list of 2022 Must See Flix…The Scott Adkins Edition!!! P.S. It’s important to note that all the films I list below are expected to hit in 2022 or already have a release date but we all know that this is subject to change at a moment’s notice especially in today’s day and age.

ACCIDENT MAN 2

2018 saw the release of Scott’s long time passion project Accident Man which was helmed by Jesse V. Johnson and was based on the character Mike Fallon, AKA the Accident Man, which was created by Pat Mills in 1991 in the underground UK comic Toxic! Adkins’ longtime collaborator Stu Small co-wrote the film along with Adkins and Mills and it definitely brought Adkins into a new light serving up some dark humor to go along with the action sequences. The popular character got his nickname due to the fact that he was an assassin who made his hits look like accidents.

This time around, George and Harry Kirby make their directorial debut. “Accident Man is back and this time he must best the top assassins in the world, to protect the ungrateful son of a mafia boss, save the life of his only friend and rekindle his relationship with his maniacal father figure.” The follow up sees Ray Stevenson returning as Big Ray along with Perry Benson as Finicky Fred and newcomers include some heavyweight martial arts talent in Sarah Chang, former Jackie Chan stunt team alum Andy Long and Zara Phythian who was just recently announced in the cast.

Principle photography wrapped up earlier this month so Accident Man 2 should see a launch date sometime in 2022 although there is no official street date yet. Expect even bigger fights and carnage this time around with Adkins performing his signature skills on screen. Check out the sizzle reel that came out a while back and witness some of the BTS mayhem involved during filming!

2) Day Shift

A hard-working, blue-collar dad who just wants to provide a good life for his quick-witted 8-year-old daughter. His mundane San Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income: hunting and killing vampires.

Day Shift is one film I’m most excited for as it’ll be a huge Netflix original movie. The giant streaming service has been dishing out some ballistic, exclusive action content as of late and this time, Adkins is involved in the ensemble cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dog, Dave Franco, Megan Good, Karla Souza, Zion Broadnax and Eric Lange. One extremely important note is Day Shift marks the directorial debut of veteran martial artist, stuntman and fight coordinator JJ “Loco” Perry. JJ has been a staple of action cinema for many years serving up the action choreography for big budget blockbusters like 1995’s Mortal Kombat, The Rundown, The Fate of the Furious and most recently The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The film will star Foxx as a simple pool cleaner who lives a double life as he secretly hunts vampires at night. Day Shift will blend, action with horror and dark comedy and even though Adkins’ role is unknown right now, from the above photo it would most likely appear that he will be playing a fellow vampire hunter in league with Foxx. here’s hoping that Adkins has a big part and is able to unleash his action skill set on more than one occasion.

Day Shift does not have a concrete release date but expect it to hit Netflix sometime next year. In the meantime, check out Perry on The Art of Action as he talks with Scott about his distinguished career and many films!

3) Section Eight

Earlier this month saw the release of Castle Falls which starred and was directed by action icon Dolph Lundgren. Adkins co-starred with Lundgren for the fourth time in his career as a desperate man who must fight his way out of a building set for demolition when along with Lundgren when a team of criminals descend upon the building looking for millions in dollars.

Lundgren and Adkins will reunite in 2022 for the fifth time in the action-thriller Section Eight which hails from director Christian Sesma (Evey Last One of Them). The rest of the notable cast includes Ryan Kwanten, Dermot Mulroney, Blue October’s lead singer Justin Furstenfeld and most recently Mickey Rourke himself.

Section Eight tells the story of a former soldier who, after avenging the murder of his family, is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy government agency.

The script was penned by Chad Law (Daylight’s End, Black Water) and Josh Ridgway (The Sector, Howlers) with Brandon Burrows of the Firebrand production banner producing. Adkins’ role is still undisclosed at this time so once again, hopefully he gets in on the action big time.

4) John Wick 4: HAGAKURE

Update: Lionsgate Moves the release date to March 24th of 2023

In terms of Scott Adkins movies to get excited about for 2022, I’ve saved the best for last as Adkins will be seen in the fourth installment of the John Wick franchise. Tentatively titled John Wick 4: Hagakure, this film is shaping up to be an action lover’s dream come true as it is essentially an Expendables type action bonanza which also features Marko Zaror, Hiroyuki Sanada and martial arts legend Donnie Yen.

Keanu Reeves returns along with Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne for the highly anticipated follow up that will see Wick forming an unlikely alliance with Fishburne’s the Bowry King after he is excommunicated and supposedly betrayed by longtime friend Winston (McShane).

Plot details are nonexistent as of now, but we do know that Yen is playing the role of Caine who is an old ally of Wick’s. The sensational cast which is worthy of an Expendables movie consists of Scott Adkins who is playing Killa although we don’t know which side he is on. Hiroyuki Sanada is playing Shimazu, and Marko Zaror is playing the antagonist Chidi. Other new additions include Rina Sawayama, Shamier Anderson (Awake), Bill Skarsgard (IT).

We do know that the next film will most likely play off the ending of the third movie where Winston apparently betrayed Wick leaving John and the Bowery King, played by Laurence Fishburne, to strike up an alliance. We can also agree on that bullets, along with hands and feet, will fly in spectacular 87Eleven Action Design fashion. 

Good or bad, hopefully Adkins will dish out plenty of signature style action as only he can deliver but at any rate, John Wick 4 is definitely one the most anticipated action films of 2023 or any year for that matter.

John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski, who returns again, also visited Scott on his Art of Action series which you can view below to get yourself properly excited.

John Wick 4 hits theaters on May 27th, 2022!

There you go Action-Flix faithful. My first edition of my 2022 Must See Flix. What better way to get it started then by talking about all the great films Scott Adkins has coming out in the new year. Check back soon for my second installment where I chat up Expendables 4, Operation Fortune and more!!! Keep it locked and loaded right here in 2022 as we are your destination for everything action!!!

Also, check out my exclusive chat with Scott on The Action Fix Podcast where we talk One Shot, Accident Man 2, Castle Falls and more!!!