New John Wick lawsuit points to bizarre ‘Tommy Wicker’ character as key piece of evidence

A screenwriter has filed a lawsuit against the John Wick production company and writer for copyright infringement, alleging that the script ripped off his story – and one piece of evidence relates to a character name “Tommy Wicker.”

Writer Jeffrey Ryan Wicker filed the lawsuit in California on Monday, June 1st, against production company Thunder Road Films, John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad, and distributor Lionsgate, seeking damages of at least $10 million.

According to court documents seen by Film Shrine, Wicker claims Kolstad’s screenplay Scorn – which later became John Wick starring Keanu Reeves – and the sequel bear “strikingly and substantially similar” elements to his 2010 screenplay Blood for Escobar.

The lawsuit goes on to allege that Blood for Escobar was circulating in Hollywood years before the 2014 action film was released, and that Kolstad had access to the script through multiple industry contacts. Those listed include producer Mike Goldberg and talent agency UTA. 

Wicker allegedly watched John Wick in 2025 and was “stunned” by the number of similarities between the film and his screenplay, accusing Kolstad of “intentionally, blatantly, and without authorization” copying Blood for Escobar. 

One of the more unusual allegations in the filing centres on a completely different Derek Kolstad project. Wicker points to the 2013 action thriller The Package, which Kolstad wrote before John Wick, arguing that it contains evidence he had already encountered Blood for Escobar.

The complaint highlights a character in The Package named Tommy Wicker, claiming the use of the surname is a “telling indication” that Kolstad had seen Wicker’s screenplay before developing what would eventually become John Wick.

“The likelihood of Kolstad using the name ‘Tommy Wicker’ for an assassin in his screenplay The Package and later using the name John Wick in the Scorn screenplay, absent access to Plaintiff’s work, is statistically extreme,” it reads. 

Beyond the Tommy Wicker allegation, the lawsuit lays out a lengthy list of similarities between Blood for Escobar and Kolstad’s original John Wick screenplay.

Both stories are said to follow a widowed former assassin who is forced back into the criminal underworld after a violent home invasion in which his beloved pet – in this case, a bird – is killed. 

According to the complaint, Blood for Escobar’s protagonist, Alex Rosenthal, also retrieves hidden weapons from his homes before embarking on a revenge-fuelled killing spree.

The lawsuit also points to the fact that both protagonists reportedly become embroiled in a secretive, rule-bound organisation of assassins. In Blood for Escobar, that group is known as “The Company”, while John Wick features the High Table and its network of hitmen.

Other similarities highlighted in the filing include a veteran assassin who is initially tasked with killing the protagonist before becoming an ally, a prized classic Mustang, and a plot point in which the assassin organisation eventually turns on the main character after he refuses to carry out an assignment.

One comparison the lawsuit repeatedly returns to is a line of dialogue spoken near the end of Blood for Escobar. After being intercepted by a representative of The Company, Alex asks: “Why am I still alive?”

Wicker argues that the scene closely mirrors later developments in the John Wick franchise, where Wick himself becomes an outcast hunted by the organisation he once served.

The lawsuit arrives more than a decade after the release of John Wick and as the franchise has grown into one of Hollywood’s most successful action properties. 

The director behind the franchise, Chad Stahelski, has previously discussed the character’s name, telling ScreenRant that the titular assassin is named after Kolstad’s grandfather, John Wick.

A court will now determine whether the similarities identified by Wicker are protected creative expression or merely common elements of the action and revenge-thriller genres. 

Film Shrine has reached out to Lionsgate for comment. 

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