Derek Kolstad, creator of John Wick and Netflix's upcoming Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, has some interesting observations on series protagonist Sam Fisher.
“One of the things that I like about Sam Fisher, John Wick, and Hutch Mansell [from Nobody] is that, yes, they’re pretty badass at what they do but, more importantly, they’re not the best. They get beat up," Kolstad tells Den of Geek, later indicating that we might be getting a more hands-on, Conviction-style Fisher than the agent from the original trilogy of titles, who often stuck to the shadows. There, Fisher dealt with infiltrations with nothing but a handful of gadgets and his iconic night vision goggles at his disposal.
"You look at the games, and he’s incredibly adept and comfortable at tech, but sometimes a bullet or a blade or the ripping out of some cord is your best line of defense," Kolstad said.
On his philosophy to Sam Fisher, Kolstad points to the appeal of the stealth icon lying in how his one-against-all approach meshes with his unwavering morality against a backdrop of government conspiracies and terrorist organizations.
“I always loved the world of Splinter Cell. I’m a huge fan of army-of-one [stories] if you do it right. And yet, even though he’s had hard decisions to make, it’s just refreshing that Sam Fisher’s a hero," Kolstad said. "He has moments of empathy and having to do this thing when both decisions are wrong, but one is a little less wrong at the cost of his soul and his own personal life, but for the benefit of the rest of us.”
Liev Schreiber voices Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, taking over from long-time actor Michael Ironside.
At its first look during the Annecy Festival, director Guillaume Dousse reeled off a list of inspirations for the Netflix series, which sees Sam Fisher pulled out of a well-earned retirement. They include Ghost in the Shell, Ozark, and a certain Mission: Impossible star.
"It was interesting to have this aging character, not totally like the Tom Cruise version but more realistic, and more weathered by life," producer Hugo Revon said.
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch hits Netflix in late 2025, and joins a stable of video game adaptations already on the streamer, including Castlevania and Devil May Cry. A Splinter Cell remake is supposedly in the works, though we haven't heard from it in years. A tease from Ubisoft around Summer Game Fest came to nothing, sadly.
For more, check out the upcoming video game movies and new TV shows currently in the works.
