Derek Kolstad Pitches the Perfect Nobody and John Wick Crossover

From the moment the first look at Nobody was released, the Bob Odenkirk-starring thriller drew comparisons to the John Wick franchise. Not only did the teaser feature a retired assassin hellbent on revenge, but it was soon revealed Derek Kolstad wrote the story for Universal and Odenkirk. Kolstad, of course, serves as the primary architect for the Wick franchise, so many instantly thought the two could be connected in some shape, way, or form.

Despite the franchises residing at different homes — Universal (Nobody) and Lionsgate (Wick) — we went ahead and asked Kolstad about any potential crossover plans when we caught up with him last week. After all, stranger things have happened, right?

"You know, honestly, they're so different. Growing up, I loved Narnia, Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, and Dungeons and Dragons. They're very, very different creatures but they're very, very, very similar. Right?" the writer says of crossover opportunities. "I think these are two very separate things that if they were to ever converge at a certain point, it would be the two of them walking through an airport and just giving each other a nod."

Kolstad says a simple passing-by in the airport would suffice as the two characters — Odenkirk's Hutch Mansell and Keanu Reeves' Wick — crossover.

"I think that's much more interesting because at a certain point, when worlds collide, as a guy who loves these kinds of movies, it always feels desperate at that point," Kolstad adds. "And in none of these things do I ever want to find ourselves in a desperate place. I would rather it be a little bit of a wink and a nod to each other and the audience."

No matter if it's Odenkirk or Keanu, Kolstad says he's had a blast working on both franchises.

"Now, he has been acting and writing. And by the way, his notes are phenomenal because he is a writer," Kolstad says of Odenkirk's Nobody involvement. "But the physicality, he threw himself into it. And you talk to the stunt guys in the second unit and they were like, 'This guy's a joy.'"

He concludes, "You think of me. Right? I'm not trained for this shit. You throw me on the ground, I'm going to lie there for 11 minutes or so. Do it a second time, give me a bottle of bourbon and a bathtub somewhere. But Bob would be like, 'Did you get it? Let's do it again. You get it? You want to do it again? Cool, I'll do it again.'"

Nobody hits theaters on March 26th.