Before Donnie Yen’s John Wick spin-off arrives, this blind assassin thriller might steal his thunder

So, you remember Donnie Yen showing up in John Wick 4 as Caine—the blind assassin who, frankly, managed to nick a fair bit of thunder off Keanu Reeves himself? While everyone’s sitting tight for Yen to get his own spin-off in what is now a $1 billion franchise (probably inevitable), another film is about to dash past and put its own spin on the whole 'blind killer' formula. It’s called The Healer, and--no, I’m not making this up—it’s basically John Wick, give or take, if he had all the acupuncture skills of a traditional Chinese medicine master and the general vibe of Marvel’s Daredevil.

The Healer brings a former weapon back to violence after he turns his needle skills on organised crime.

The Blind Assassin: Not Exactly New

The whole thing with blind martial artists isn’t breaking any new ground—there’s Zatoichi, there’s Daredevil, even Donnie Yen himself has had a crack at it twice now, once in John Wick and before that in Rogue One. But here comes Eddie Peng (who did Rise of the Legend and The Great Wall) as a blind acupuncturist with a chequered past. He goes by 'The Healer', and it’s the usual drill: tries to keep his brutal history buried, now wants nothing more than a bit of peace, but naturally, he gets dragged back in when a boy under his protection is targeted by your standard batch of villains. Predictably, violence ensues.

The twist is, for once, all those healing tricks and anatomical know-how actually come into play—he’s not just hitting folks, he’s disabling them, pressure point by pressure point. So, it’s your familiar redemption arc, but with more needles and fewer bullets. As action gimmicks go, it’s at least original enough to catch the eye.

Cast, Crew and Post-Production Details

The cast isn’t half bad, either. You’ve got Ewan Mitchell (straight from House of the Dragon), Smylie Bradwell (set to pop up in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping), Georgina Beedle (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), and Jameela Jamil from The Good Place. Behind the camera, there’s Can Aydin—a former stunt guy turned director, which frankly seems like a legal requirement for action thrillers now. He’s worked on The Fall Guy and Thunderbolts, and apparently is following the Chad Stahelski 'stunt-to-director' playbook to the letter.

The first teaser poster for The Healer has just been released, with the finished film still in post-production.

The Medical-Action Trend

What’s genuinely odd is this apparent microtrend for 'medical' action thrillers cropping up all over. Michelle Yeoh is starring in The Surgeon (pitched as “John Wick meets The Pitt”, whatever that means), and Iko Uwais is about to headline MRI, where he’s a knackered hitman who just wanted to get a scan, and—naturally—a siege breaks out. It’s as if Hollywood’s doctors are now all moonlighting as action stars, which, if you ask me, is a cracking way to sell a new franchise or three.

• The Healer stars Eddie Peng as a blind acupuncturist with a dangerous past.
• Supporting cast includes Ewan Mitchell, Smylie Bradwell, Georgina Beedle, and Jameela Jamil.
• Directed by ex-stuntman Can Aydin, best known for work on The Fall Guy and Thunderbolts.
• First poster is out now; the film is still in post-production with both trailer and solid release date yet to land.