When Scott Adkins or Marko Zaror individually headline a martial arts flick, that news inevitably gets martial arts movie lovers giddily over the moon. So obviously, a double team of Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror is twice as exciting to hear about, and martial arts fans have exactly that to set their sights on with the upcoming martial arts spectacular “Diablo”.
As if that weren’t enough to place “Diablo” on any martial arts aficionado’s most anticipated list all on its own, the movie is also being helmed by Latin America’s most prolific martial arts movie filmmaker, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza – which makes it an absolute necessity to discuss why KFK is excited for the Scott Adkins-Marko Zaror team-up, “Diablo”!
Scott Adkins & Marko Zaror Team-Ups are Always a Blast
In “Diablo”, Scott Adkins portrays ex-con Kris Chaney, who undertakes a dangerous task that involves absconding with a young woman named Elisa, who happens to be the daughter of ruthless gang leader Vincent. When Elisa’s father puts out a contract on Kris’ life, Marko Zaror’s El Corvo is one of numerous assassins who takes on the task, albeit for his own hidden agenda.
Scott and Marko have previously appeared together in such modern martial arts hits as “Undisputed 3: Redemption”, “Savage Dog”, and “John Wick: Chapter 4” (albeit not sharing any scenes in the latter). With such an outstanding preceding history of Scott and Marko as an action movie duo, the makers of “Diablo” are leaning right into setting expectations sky-high.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in May 2023, producer Clay Epstein expressed great enthusiasm for the release of “Diablo”, stating “Audiences are going to be blown away by some of the most unbelievable action sequences they will have ever seen…The realistic way Ernesto shoots stunts mixed with Scott and Marco’s insane talent is going to thrill the fans beyond their wildest dreams.”
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Speaking to Deadline this past May, Scott himself stated “I am excited to share this movie with the fans. “Diablo” turned out great. Some of the best fights and action we have ever done”. Scott also later took to Twitter/X to enter “Diablo” for contention as a candidate for the best martial arts action film of 2025. (The only disappointing part of Scott’s statement is, of course, the news that the world will seemingly have to wait for 2025 to see “Diablo”!)
Scott and Marko’s Epic Fight Scene History
Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror team-ups are essentially batting 1000, and action lovers have great reason to anticipate that trend continuing with “Diablo”.
Scott and Marko first met onscreen in Isaac Florentine’s “Undisputed 3”, the movie culminating in an epic MMA showdown of Yuri Boyka battling the sinister Dolor.
Even for The Most Complete Fighter in the World, Dolor gave Boyka nothing less than an epic challenge, but not only was Boyka’s victory arguably his most hard-earned, but the finale of “Undisputed 3” itself is hands down among the best of both Scott and Marko’s careers.
Scott and Marko reunited for round two in Jesse Johnson’s 2017 Canon Films-esque “Savage Dog”, an exhilarating rematch as captivating and exhilarating as it indeed is savage (especially in how it ends). While Scott and Marko sadly didn’t share any scenes together in “John Wick: Chapter 4”, both of them also brought their A-game and then some in their respective duels with Keanu Reeves’ Baba Yaga.
In any case, as two of the modern martial arts movie titans, Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror consistently raise the bar for modern action in their individual fight sequences, and even more so in the ones they’ve done together. However, the man behind “Diablo” is also a true maven of martial arts moviemaking.
Ernesto Diaz Espinoza is a Fantastic Martial Arts Filmmaker
Director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza is a name any Marko Zaror fan knew well long before “Diablo” was even announced, given the duo’s long working relationship.
Ernesto’s collaborations with Marko include such Chilean martial arts hits as “Kiltro”, “Mirageman”, “Mandrill”, “Redeemer”, and most recently “Fist of the Condor”. Not only is Ernesto’s ability to deliver amazing action fully on display in each of the aforementioned movies, but he’s also shown terrific versatility as a filmmaker.
Between the deconstruction of superheroes in “Mirageman”, “The Raid”-style underground crime story of “Redeemer”, or the meditative classic kung fu tale of “Fist of the Condor”, Ernesto’s work as an action filmmaker always finds ways to feel fresh and new. That, of course, sets the table for a very exciting lead-up into Ernesto’s sixth collaboration with Marko Zaror and his first one with Scott Adkins in “Diablo”.
The only thing left to do is drop a trailer and release date, but even with both absent at the moment, martial arts movie lovers can already tell Ernesto, Scott, Marko, and everyone involved have quite the martial arts movie powerhouse waiting to be unleashed in “Diablo”!
