THE PACKAGE (Jesse V. Johnson, 2012)

[Jox]

I heard THE PACKAGE was kind of like a "repackaging" of Steve Austin's earlier vehicle HUNT TO KILL with even some of the same dialogue, can anyone confirm ?

[thegoon4eto]

Can't remember actually. Saw the movie long time ago. Overall, I liked Hunt to Kill a little bit more than The Package. But no, I don't see it as a "repackaging" of Hunt to Kill. Totally different stories. Can't say about sharing same dialogue, but who knows ... Maybe some one-liners.

[Jox]

U.S. Blu-ray/DVD release TV spot
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7dRJ/the-packag ... ay-and-dvd

[Jox]

A great interview with Jesse V. Johnson I seem to have missed:
http://streamline.filmstruck.com/2013/0 ... more-62911

The director goes in details about the making of the film and how he worked with Dolph:

[Jox]

Jesse V. Johnson interview
http://www.actionreloaded.com/jesse-v-j ... interview/

And lastly you worked with one of my favourite action heroes.. Dolph Lundgren who you worked with on Agent Red and The Package. The Package seemed like a fun shoot and is my favourite Steve Austin movie, how did you manage to get so many badass martial artists in one movie? (Dolph, Jerry Trimble and Darren Shahlavi)

Dolph I worked with on Army of One, as an Art Director and then 20 years later, I worked as his director on The Package, and loved it. I was a stunt man for two or three days on Agent Red, and did not meet him at all.

On The Package, they had the cast committed before they hired me, I had to meet Steve Austin and sell myself, we chatted a lot, and I expressed my interest in performance and character, and we got on well.

At the time he was very focused on doing well, and it was upsetting to me when he later decided to quit movies.

Dolph I met for the first time when he arrived on set, he was great, very helpful and professional, and very concerned about the character he played. I thought he did great, I think he received some of his best reviews of his career for that role.

They gave me “carte blanche” on the rest of the cast, so I hired my friends, Jerry Trimble has worked with me many times, Darren Shalavi was an old friend and I was lucky they both said yes.

[Jox]

Rejected key arts below the final packshot by DesignWorks (see on the right of the image)
http://www.dzynwrx.com/images/Packaging/PKG_8.jpg

[Jox]

The Movie Crypt Podcast career interview with Jesse V. Johnson (100 min)
http://moviecrypt.libsyn.com/ep-312-jesse-v-johnson

[Jox]

AVENGEMENT AND JESSE V. JOHNSON'S BEST FILMS
https://www.mikefury.net/blog/avengemen ... best-films

“Oh yeah, I really enjoyed working in Canada with this crew and collaborating with Steve and Dolph. It’s written by Derek Kolstad who also wrote John Wick. I feel like you can see him filling out certain lines of fantasy that would turn up later in the John Wick story, obviously handled differently by Chad Stahelski who did a great job and had a much, much bigger budget. But I think this works as a good precursor to John Wick. I really like the movie and I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

- Jesse V. Johnson

[Jox]

[Jox]

Writer Derek Kolstad (JOHN WICK, NOBODY) reminisces about Dolph, ONE IN THE CHAMBER, and THE PACKAGE in the BEST MOVIES NEVER MADE podcast (at 16:50)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-sw7by-e6f09b7
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i ... 85089&l=nl

[savagesketch]

New episode for a new month! Richard Hawes, host of the DTV Digest podcast joins me as a we open a package of “whoop ass” (Stone Cold Steve Austin reference ) and discuss 2013’s THE PACKAGE! Enjoy!

https://imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress ... e-package/

Feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever else you go to subscribe!

[Jox]

[Jox]

Did not know this

Jesse V Johnson

A fun shoot. Vancouver BC in 2012 with a great bunch of folks.
Stone Cold's character was originally called John Wick, but we changed it to Ed Wick at the last minute.
Our writer, Derek Kolstad had just sold a script where the lead character had that name.

https://www.facebook.com/actionjessevjo ... cKwv48x9rl

[savagesketch]

Yep! We discussed this very fact on THE PACKAGE episode... Particularly how this particular film is basically a prototype/blueprint for what was to come in the JOHN WICK universe. Kolstad also toyed with some of the JOHN WICK universe elements (Russian mobs, an assassin with a dog, etc.) in ONE IN THE CHAMBER as well.

https://imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress ... e-package/

[Jox]

Yep! We discussed this very fact on THE PACKAGE episode...

Oh I must have forgotten it then (because I surely did listen to the episode)