Nobody 2 vs. John Wick: Bob Odenkirk’s sequel is coming — and it’s hard not to think of the Baba Yaga

Before 2021, we knew John Wick was the serious deal — a film that took the action genre to a whole new level. The themes were dramatic and thrilling, but not exactly comicbook. Then, in 2021 Bob Odenkirk chose to go down the same path following his turn as an unscrupulous lawyer in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. He played an assassin in Nobody, with abilities that reminded you of Keanu Reeves as John Wick .

After watching Nobody, you realised John Wick might have finally met his match. Now it's time for Nobody 2. The film is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2025, and the trailer promises some Wick-ed action in Bob Odenkirk's new film.

While the Nobody franchise has seen two different directors in two different movies (Ilya Naishuller for Nobody and Timo Tjahjanto for Nobody 2), all John Wick films have been directed by Chad Stahelski. Its recent spinoff, Ballerina, was directed by Len Wiseman.

Pain is at the core of Nobody and John Wick

A still from Nobody 2 (Image via Universal Pictures)

The action is great in both franchises, but it's the pain that connects them the best.

There's even an entire documentary called Wick is Pain, which shows never-before-seen footage of Keanu Reeves and the team preparing for the movies. One of the stuntmen says the pain the audience saw on the screen was probably for real. When you see the documentary, you know what this means.

Same goes with Bob Odenkirk's character. In an interview with IGN, the actor said,

"We weren’t trying to develop a superhero body. I look like a dad, I look like a regular guy. Maybe I eat fewer hamburgers than you, but I still eat hamburgers. I said, when this guy gets hurt I want that pain to linger. So many times people get punched and they shake it off and they’re fine. I wanted him to feel all the impact of the fighting and violence."

Another link between the franchises is the writer, Derek Kolstad, who has been a part of the first three John Wick films. He is returning for Nobody 2 too.

Can Nobody 2 connect to the John Wick universe after months of speculation?

If this seems absurd, know that speculations about a potential crossover between these two universes have done the rounds in the past, especially since Derek addressed the idea in a March 2021 interview with ComicBook. He said,

"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? 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."

We can't say if we will see that happening, but we sure won't mind if it does. As of this writing, there aren't any rumors to indicate a crossover between the two franchises. As Nobody 2 releases, its brand of violence might just open up the speculations all over again.