12 years after the John Wick franchise launched, the original movie’s writer and its production company have been hit with a $10 million lawsuit.
Keanu Reeves debuted as the title protagonist in 2014, and what started as a standalone story about a former assassin seeking revenge for his puppy being killed paved the way for one of the biggest action movie franchises of all time. Derek Kolstad wrote John Wick and its next two sequels. The franchise resides at Lionsgate Studios, and Thunder Road Pictures produces these features. All three parties have now been accused of copyright infringement over John Wick.
As shared by The Hollywood Reporter, The Sick and On My Way writer J.R. Wicker filed a lawsuit in California federal court on Monday, alleging that John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2 have “strikingly and substantially similar” elements to a screenplay he penned called Blood for Escobar. Wicker’s story also follows a middle-aged ex-assassin who reluctantly returns to the criminal underworld and faces off against a secret society of fellow hit men, killing anyone who gets in his way.
R. Terry Parker and Steven Lowe, Wicker’s lawyers, wrote that Kolstad “intentionally, blatantly, and without authorization, copied” Blood for Escobar for his spec script Scorn, which became John Wick. That allegedly includes the former project also opening with Alex, the main protagonist, witnessing his pet being killed during a home invasion, Alex owning a Ford Mustang, and him being exiled by his secret society, just like what happened to John Wick at the end of his second movie. The lawsuit also states:
In both works, the antagonist gets away and is finished by a bullet later at a different location, a location where guards are down, a public location, at night, drinking
Wicker’s lawsuit goes on to allege how Kolstad reviewed Blood for Escobar and may have obtained a copy of the screenplay. Wicker is seeking $10 million in damages from Kolstad, Lionsgate, and Thunder Road. However, his lawsuit faces several obstacles, including the statute of limitations, as Wicker says he only watched John Wick for the first time in 2025.
This lawsuit comes as the John Wick franchise has been expanding past Reeves’ character. The 2023 Peacock miniseries The Continental explored the origins of John’s ally, Winson Scott, in the 1970s. That was followed in 2025 by the film spinoff Ballerina, which spotlighted Ana de Armas’ Eve Macarro going on her own mission of vengeance in between the events of the third and fourth John Wick movies. Reeves appeared in a supporting capacity.
Next up for the franchise is another film spinoff, Caine. Along with Donnie Yen reprising the blind assassin who was introduced in John Wick: Chapter 4, he’s directing the movie, which began filming at the end of April. Other projects in development include an animated prequel movie about John carrying out the “impossible task”; a TV show called Under the High Table, which would focus on supporting characters from the movies after the events of John Wick: Chapter 4; and a single-player John Wick video game for PlayStation 5.
As for the main John Wick film series, though the fourth installment seemingly ended with John’s death, Lionsgate is also developing John Wick: Chapter 5 with Reeves and director Chad Stahelski, among others. It’s unclear if Wicker’s lawsuit will affect any of these projects.