It seems as if the world of John Wick expands every day, as the franchise steers itself away from the тιтular character and focuses on spinoffs surrounding both new and existing characters. However, after The Continental received uneven reviews, not every property from the franchise is guaranteed to be a success. It will be important to balance quality and quanтιтy while the series expands, as John Wick has become a mᴀssive success for Lionsgate. Moving forward, there are numerous stories to tell within the universe, whether it be future sequels, prequels, or spinoffs.
Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff following Ana de Armas, releases in 2025, marking the franchise’s first effort with entirely new characters. While trailers have seemed promising, specific details have been kept under wraps, keeping public knowledge to a minimum. It has been stated that John Wick will appear in the film, making The Continental the only John Wick project to exclude Keanu Reeves’ hitman. Set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina will be able to fill some gaps in Wick’s story, but not every John Wick story needs to be told.
A Live-Action John Wick Prequel Would Be Pointless Without Keanu Reeves
Lionsgate Can Learn From One of Lucasfilm’s Mistakes
Since its release in 2014, John Wick has spawned two spinoffs, The Continental TV show and the Ballerina movie. In addition, a John Wick anime is said to be in the works, moving the franchise into a new format. One thing the franchise has stayed away from is recasting John Wick for a prequel show showing his younger years, which is the correct decision. Recasting a beloved character can be incredibly difficult, as fans grow attached to the original actor and how they brought the character to life.
As the тιтle character in his own universe, recasting is a dangerous game, as the wrong choice could cause fan revolt.
Lucasfilm learned that lesson the hard way with Solo: A Star Wars Story. While a prequel movie following Han Solo and Chewie sounds like a great idea, it was met with mixed fan reception and created several plot holes. Like Ford with Han Solo, Reeves has become synonymous with his role as John Wick. As the тιтle character in his own universe, recasting is a dangerous game, as the wrong choice could cause fan revolt. Without Reeves’ performance, the character would have less intrigue and risk being ruined by somebody else’s hand.
A Young John Wick Story Would Remove The Mystique Of The Character
Explaining Everything Makes John Wick Feel Less Like A Puzzle
As the John Wick franchise moves on, more and more of Wick’s backstory is revealed, including his seemingly impossible task. However, John became an alluring character due to his mysterious past, and learning about his early life could ruin that. Learning as the story goes along allows John’s motivations to become clearer as he falls deeper into trouble. New characters pop up, giving more context to John’s life and how he got to this point. Ripping that away risks tarnishing the legacy that Reeves’ character has built.
With all of the intrigue surrounding John Wick, it’s important to keep some of his story hidden. Learning too much of who he was before the events of the first movie could tarnish his reputation, forcing Wick to be viewed in a different light. As his actions and motivations become clearer and clearer, the character becomes less complex and interesting. Outside the action, John Wick keeping the hitman’s past makes the movie more intriguing, as the pieces of the puzzle slowly come together and explain how we got here.
The John Wick Franchise Must Be Careful With Its Spinoff Ideas
Not Every Story is Worth the Time
With The Continental failing to meet expectations, Lionsgate will have to be careful when selecting its next prequel. Ballerina looks to be following the lead of its predecessors, focusing heavily on action and allowing Ana de Armas’ ᴀssᴀssin to take center stage. By putting a new character front and center, they’re signaling that John Wick is more than just Keanu Reeves’ movies and its story. Despite bringing Reeves back for at least a cameo as Wick, the choice to move to a new lead shows their willingness to change.
The existence of a H๏τel for killers like the Continental gives the franchise an easy tie-in to any movie or show.
While change can be a good thing, Lionsgate must remember that some stories are best left untold. In a world filled with ᴀssᴀssins and contract killers, the story possibilities are endless. The existence of a H๏τel for killers like the Continental gives the franchise an easy tie-in to any movie or show. However, that doesn’t mean every story needs to be explained. Some ideas should stay on the drawing table, allowing some mysteries to remain unsolved and other characters to tell their own stories.
As the John Wick franchise moves away from Keanu Reeves’ hero, Lionsgate has the opportunity to expand the franchise any way they see fit. With Ballerina coming out this year, Ana de Armas’ character could be a key jumping-off point, moving the series away from John Wick and into a world without him. However, with unlimited ideas for spinoffs and sequels out there, some stories will need to be left on the cutting-room floor.
