274 | Derek Kolstad (John Wick, Nobody): How to Craft Character and Action on the Page

The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

Tv & Film

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, JOHN WICK creator Derek Kolstad joins us to break down how he crafts character-driven action on the page. Derek shares how he thinks about tone, rhythm, and world-building, why action is an extension of the hero’s journey, and the psychological tricks he uses to survive rewrites. We also dig into his collaborations with actors like Keanu Reeves and Bob Odenkirk, his approach to adapting IP, and the creative habits that keep him excited to write "fade in." --- Looking for more support on your writing journey? Join Meg and Lorien inside ⁠⁠⁠TSL Workshops⁠⁠ ⁠- use code HOLIDAY25 for 50% off your first month. Episode Links: Check out the ⁠⁠TSL merch shop⁠⁠ TSL on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ The Screenwriting Life is produced by ⁠⁠Jonathan Hurwitz⁠⁠ and edited by ⁠⁠Kate Mishkin⁠⁠. Email us at ⁠⁠thescreenwritinglife@gmail.com⁠⁠. --- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Think about cheese.
0:02.1	Make your thoughts cheesier.
0:04.2	Now add 100% chicken breast fillet,
0:06.3	Chipotle sauce and Amadea cheese melt.
0:08.3	And it's giving the new cheesy chicken stack at McDonald's.
0:12.0	Did we mention it's cheesy?
0:13.9	Cheese.
0:15.8	Availments at the 4th of Jan, 226 from 11am.
0:18.1	Price and participation may vary.
0:19.2	Subjects availability.
0:30.4	Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the screenwriting life. I'm Lorian McKenna. And I'm Meg Lofov.
0:35.0	Today we are joined by Derek Kolstad, who's best known as the creator of the John Wick franchise and the writer of its first three films. His feature
0:39.1	work includes Universal's hit action film Nobody and its sequel Nobody, too. Derek also wrote and produced
0:45.4	the upcoming feature Normal, starring Bob Odenkirk, which premiered this year at TIF as part of the
0:51.2	Midnight Madness Slate and was acquired for distribution by Magnolia Pictures.
0:56.3	In television, Derek EP Netflix's upcoming animated series Splinter Cell Death Watch,
1:02.2	based on the hit video game franchise and served as co-EP of Marvels, The Falcon, and the Winter Soldier.
1:07.7	In addition to his film and TV work, Kohlstad recently authored the comic book
1:11.0	Planet Death, which overnight became the best-selling independent comic in more than three
1:15.4	decades. Welcome to the show, Derek. Pleasure. We're so excited to have you here. Can't wait to
1:21.9	talk about everything, Derek. But first, we're going to do what our weeks were, or what we like to call Adventures in
1:29.1	Screenwriting. Lorian, why don't you go first? So daylight savings really messed me up this week.
	...

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