This interview was originally published on ComicBookMovie.com.
In The Stoic, after a group of mercenaries raid a gang's den, they flee to a country hideout with two hostages. A Stoic, a member of a criminal clan, enraged about the women's capture, attacks the mercenaries.
The conflict escalates into an explosive showdown between the Stoic and the mercenaries' ruthless boss determined to kill him.
After recently speaking to lead stars Scott Wright and Jason Flemyng, we sat down with writer/director Jonathan Eckersley this week for an in-depth conversation about how he made the movie.
During the interview, we asked the filmmaker about The Stoic's hard-hitting action scenes and learned how Frank Millar's seminal The Dark Knight Returns inspired how he approached the way the movie's lead, Aurelius, deals with his foes.
"The thing with the Stoics is they’re not allowed to use guns and mechanical weapons…have you read The Dark Knight Returns? Of course you have. [Batman] takes on a gang of youths, a street gang, and says, ‘Get rid of your guns, we’re gonna use our fists.’ The philosophy of that graphic novel was that the gun was a coward’s weapon. It’s always stuck with me."
"Not that I think a gun is a coward’s weapon," Eckersley notes. "It’s far from it…the thing is, the idea with the Stoics and the violence and action is that if you’re going to kill someone or visit yourself upon someone, however horrible that that is and whatever good you think you’re doing of it, the Stoics have to own that experience. You are responsible for that experience."
"Aurelius’ philosophy is if you’re going to be violent, be violent quickly and get it over with. It’s not for your own entertainment or a piece of enjoyment."
Throughout this conversation, Jonathan mentions a project called The Lineman a few times. He wrote that script before penning The Stoic but put it to one side for budgetary reasons. While he remains keen to develop it as a sequel, the writer and director has plenty of ideas for this budding action franchise.
"Look, if the funding is there and the deal is there, absolutely. Why not?" he enthuses. "The sequel is already written but just as John Wick goes into his community of assassins with the hotel and everything, you could easily go into the Stoics themselves. You could do a Stoic tale set in the 1800s. In the 1970s. In 1984 around the miner’s strike which I think would be fascinating."
"You could go up to Scotland, go into the cult and into the house to see how they behave…I’ve love to explore the Stoics; it would be fascinating."
You can check out the full interview with Jonathan in the player below.
0:10 - An in-depth explanation of exploring stoicism in this film and the people who helped make The Stoic a reality
10:55 - Why this was a passion project for him and Scott Wright and what made the actor right for this role
16:53 - The process of adding Jason Flemyng to the cast and what it means to have him join the project
22:10 - Working with Saban to bring The Stoic to a global audience
24:15 - Delivering a different type of action with The Stoic and what he enjoyed about helming it
27:15 - Why Wales was the perfect location to shoot the film
33:01 - Whether there are plans to expand this franchise and tell more stories about The Stoic
The Stoic is now available on Digital and On Demand.