Scott Adkins's Russian Nazarian brother in Day Shift is a tribute to the importance such characters have had in the arc of his career. In Day Shift, the film's protagonist Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx), is a vampire hunter in need of some quick money and manages to get his membership in the vampire hunting organization known as "the Union" re-instated. With his assigned Union supervisor Seth (Dave Franco), Bud's vampire hunting escapades get quickly out of hand, especially with the arrival of the Nazarian brothers, Diran (Adkins) and Mike (Steve Howey) as they work together to take down a vampire nest.
The Nazarian brothers are Russian, and characters of Eastern European origin have been something of a staple in the career of Scott Adkins. The Undisputed franchise is the most well-known of these, with Scott Adkins portraying prison MMA fighter Yuri Boyka, who is Ukrainian and imprisoned in Russia. Other movies like The Tournament, The Expendables 2, and The Brothers Grimsby have also seen Adkins portray Eastern European characters, and the point that Day Shift comes in his career makes Diran Nazarian a tip of the hat to all of them.
Director J.J. Perry previously was a fight choreographer on Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, which debuted Boyka to the world. With that film being the point where Adkins began to really attract significant attention from action fans for his incredible abilities as a martial artist, Diran Nazarian being Russian is more important than it initialluy seems. In a subtle way, the nationality of the Nazarian brothers is Day Shift pays tribute to the early days of Adkins's early career back when Boyka was Undisputed 2's villain was a building block to the mainstream action movie stardom.
Day Shift Acknowledges The Importance Of Scott Adkins's Eastern European Roles
Boyka is most certainly the signature character of Scott Adkins, but his subsequent roles that have required him to don an Eastern European accent have significantly impacted the popularity he has accumulated as an action hero. Day Shift might only involve the Nazarian brothers in a single vampire-slaying set piece, but the choice to have Adkins speak essentially in his Boyka voice as Diran instantly harkens back to The Most Complete Fighter in the World. The fact that Perry helped design the fights of the most famous Scott Adkins character of all makes Diran's role in Day Shift even more of a return to the Boyka-based roots Adkins began with.
The Nazarian brothers have quickly emerged as the breakout characters of the Blade-worthy Day Shift, which is surely owing to both Adkins and Howey's chemistry and the high-flying martial arts Adkins brings to the film. While a great character in isolation, Diran Nazarian being Russian is also a nod to where Scott Adkins began. First speaking with the accent of Boyka in Undisputed 2, Scott Adkins brings it back for Day Shift, both acknowledging and exemplifying how much more accustomed viewers have become to hearing him speak with an Eastern European accent.