UPDATE: 08/08/2017

Not a ton of info has been coming out about the big screen version of Cowboy Ninja Viking, based on the Image comic by writer A.J. Lieberman and artist Riley Rossmo about a multiple personality patient who becomes a super soldier once the government gives him the personalities of all three titular warrior people. We told you back in November of 2014 (!) that Chris Pratt had signed on to star, and later co-produce, and in January 2015, we said the co-directors of John Wick were in talks to direct. That didn’t end up happening, of course, and we had pretty much forgotten about this project at all for over two years.

But on Tuesday, Deadline reported that Universal has given Cowboy Ninja Viking a release date of June 28, 2019, meaning two things: 1) they’re actively putting this moving into production, since they have less than two years until it’s meant to come out, and 2) that they must have faith it’ll do sweet box office numbies because they’re giving it a cushy Summer release slot. We’d guess a director announcement is forthcoming.

Check out our original story about why the John Wick directors would have been great below!

If you wanted an action movie in 2014 of the non-comic book variety, there were only a few worth cocking your pistol for, and wearing the crown by a country mile was John Wick, the directorial debut of former stunt choreographers and second unit gurus David Leitch and Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves as a deeply wronged widowed former hitman who takes the bloodiest of revenge on the people who took the only things he had left: a little puppy and a badass Mustang Shelby. It’s one of our favorite action flicks of the last billion years, which is why we’re so stoked about the news coming from Variety today.

It looks like Leitch and Stahelski are being looked at by Universal to helm their new action flick, Cowboy Ninja Viking, based on the Image comic by writer A.J. Lieberman and artist Riley Rossmo about a multiple personality patient who becomes a super soldier once the government gives him the personalities of all three titular warrior people. As we reported back in November on Nerdist News, everybody’s favorite new action star Chris Pratt (who is also apparently being looked at as the new Indiana Jones) has been cast as the lead. If the deal gets inked and the Wick pair get to direct it, it’ll be the best marriage of concept, star, and director since, well, probably since John Wick.

If you’d like to see a sample of the action we’re talking about, watch our own Brian Walton take out a roomful of thugs in a scene choreographed by John Wick‘s fight team, 87Eleven action design.

Let us know what you think of this. Do you worship at the altar of Wick like we do?

Images: Marvel/Image Comics, art by Riley Rossmo