One of Vin Diesel’s most unusual movies, which went practically unnoticed during its original release ten years ago, just became available to watch on Netflix. While he’s one of the world’s highest-grossing actors and the star of the popular Fast & Furious franchise, Vin Diesel has been involved in some very weird projects. It seems that science fiction and fantasy are favorite genres of Diesel’s, as he’s become known for appearing in Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but not all his fantasy projects have been so well-received.
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As well as playing the likes of the Iron Giant, Richard B. Riddick, Groot, and Bloodshot, Vin Diesel has also appeared as Kaulder, an immortal knight who has dedicated his life to fighting witches in the 2015 film The Last Witch Hunter. Grossing only $146.9 million globally, The Last Witch Hunter was all but missed by almost everyone, yet is perhaps the project closest to Vin Diesel’s heart. With a possible sequel on the way, The Last Witch Hunter’s appearance on Netflix could spell good news for the poorly-rated potential franchise.
The Last Witch Hunter is One of Vin Diesel’s Weirdest Movies
Originally released on October 23, 2015, The Last Witch Hunter is based on Vin Diesel’s own Dungeons and Dragons character from his childhood. During his campaigns, Diesel played as Melkor the Witch-Hunter, who formed the inspiration for writer Cory Goodman to pen a movie featuring a version of the character. In the movie, Kaulder was cursed with eternal life by a Witch Queen, whom he defeated after she released the Black Plague, 800 years ago. In the present day, Kaulder works for an organization known as the “Axe and Cross,” which maintains a truce between humanity and witches.
When the leader of their organisation is put to sleep with dark magic, Kaulder and the leader’s heir, the 37th “Dolan,” head out to find the witch who cast the spell and kill her, saving their leader. They meet witches on the journey and use a memory spell for Kaulder to remember his long life, which reveals that the original Witch Queen can still return. A final battle against the Queen culminates in her body being destroyed, but her heart remaining, while Kaulder, the returning Dolan (Michael Caine), and their ally, Chloe (Rose Leslie), form a new team.
Even condensed, The Last Witch Hunter’s storyline sounds convoluted and muddled, and admittedly, the pacing of the movie is unbearably slow. Full of bland action sequences and a wild amount of expository conversation, The Last Witch Hunter is pretty tough to watch, which is a shame considering how much it means to Diesel. Arguably one of the world’s least-well-known fantasy movies, with what could have been an interesting storyline had it been handled better. All in all, it’s surprising The Last Witch Hunter is now available to watch on Netflix.
Why Netflix Added The Last Witch Hunter, Now
It’s been almost a full decade since The Last Witch Hunter’s original premiere in October 2015, so Netflix may be celebrating the tenth anniversary of this Vin Diesel project by bringing it to home audiences. Alternatively, Netflix drawing more attention to The Last Witch Hunter might spell good news for the long-planned sequel. Diesel revealed that planning had started on a sequel prior to the original’s release, but the original film was panned by critics, and combined with Diesel’s busy schedule, these plans were put on hold.
“Lionsgate is coming and saying, ‘We’re putting a writer on for the next one.’ That’s kinda cool,” Diesel noted during a 2020 interview with Collider. “This is recent, by the way. But it’s funny that you mentioned The Last Witch Hunter, because I’m in a meeting with Lionsgate and they’re actively creating the sequel to The Last Witch Hunter.” That was five years ago, and the only update since then was a cryptic Instagram post shared by Diesel in which he stated, “Can’t wait until you see where the immortal goes next,” which could imply Kaulder’s return, or not.
With a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of only 18%, The Last Witch Hunter is the last movie many viewers would expect to get a sequel, but it seems Diesel doesn’t care about box office returns or approval ratings. Recent controversies surrounding Diesel himself might actually mark the end of development on The Last Witch Hunter 2, and the mysterious silence surrounding the possible sequel leaves its future in jeopardy. You can catch The Last Witch Hunter on Netflix in the US now, perhaps reminding audiences of the story before a sequel is confirmed, or just celebrating its 10th birthday.
Did you watch The Last Witch Hunter? Do you want to see a sequel? Let us know in the comments!
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