John Wick’s Chad Stahelski is teaming up with Michael B. Jordan to make a Rainbow Six movie.
Per Deadline (opens in new tab), the stuntman-turned-director has signed on to helm a live-action adaptation of one of Tom Clancy’s most iconic literary works. The action-thriller will see Jordan reprise his role as John Clark from Without Remorse, which launched exclusively on Prime Video in March 2021.
Rainbow Six has reportedly been in development (per Variety (opens in new tab)) since Without Remorse was released. The film’s ending teased the arrival of Rainbow, an international counterterrorism organization headed by Clark in Clancy’s seminal novels. However, it had been unclear if Paramount Pictures would officially greenlight the follow-up, given the two-year gap between Without Remorse and this latest annoucement.
Now, Without Remorse is a decent film. In our Without Remorse review, we said its “solid action set-pieces and stellar cast are ultimately weighed down by its unoriginal tale of revenge”, so there was enough about it to be worth a watch. With Stahelski on board as Rainbow Six’s director, though, I’m confident that it’ll be a more action-oriented and crowd-pleasing film than its predecessor.
Stahelski made his name in Hollywood as one of the best stuntmen around, working on hit movie franchises like The Matrix before moving into the director’s chair for fan-favorite action series John Wick.
Those of you who have seen John Wick and The Matrix don’t need me to tell you how spectacular the stunt work and set-pieces are. These are movie series that have built diehard followings thanks to the intricacy and intense physical nature of their stylish action sequences. Stahelski’s experience as a stuntman clearly helped to craft each film franchise’s iconic and energetic set-pieces, including those Martix slow-mo bullet-time sequences, and John Wick’s brutal, frenetic close-quarters combat.
Having someone like Stahelski lead production on Paramount’s Rainbow Six film is only going to elevate and energize its action sequences. Speaking to IGN (opens in new tab) ahead of Without Remorse’s release, Jordan suggested that any planned sequel would be more action-heavy, and hiring Stahelski will go a long way to ensuring Rainbow Six’s action is as good as the films he’s previously worked on.
That’s not to say Without Remorse wasn’t without some excellent stunt work. Jordan performed one of the movie’s most suspense-ridden scenes, with the Black Panther and Creed star holding his breath for a five-minute long underwater sequence. Meanwhile, Without Remorse’s tense climactic shootout, and the scene preceding it, were well co-ordinated from stunt perspectives.
However, as Hollywood’s leading stuntman-director, Stahelski should bring fresh ideas and breathe new life into the burgeoning John Clark movie universe. Time will tell if he’s successful but, based on his track record, I’d be surprised if Rainbow Six isn’t praised for its stuntwork when it’s eventually released.
Curiously, there’s no word on whether Rainbow Six will receive a dual theatrical and streaming release. As well as Without Remorse, Prime Video is the home of the Jack Ryan TV series – one of the best Prime Video shows, in our view – which recently ended after three seasons.
Given that one of the world’s best streaming services has played host to two live-action adaptations of Clancy’s Ryanverse, it would be strange if Rainbow Six didn’t make its way to Prime Video. However, with many of Paramount’s theatrical releases finding their way to Paramount Plus post-release, it’s more likely that Rainbow Six will debut on that streaming platform instead. If – and it’s a big if – Paramount has ambitions on building a live-action Ryanverse, though, it would be in the studio’s best interests to bring Rainbow Six to Prime Video at some point.
Regardless, these are exciting times for fans of Clancy’s Ryanverse. Video game aficionados have enjoyed plenty of titles based on Clancy’s works, including Rainbow Six: Siege, Splinter Cell, The Division, and Ghost Recon: Wildlands. It’s about time, then, that film fans were also able to enjoy Clancy’s works in a different medium – and I, for one, can’t wait.
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