The John Wick movies haven’t shown much of the тιтle character’s life as a paid ᴀssᴀssin, but that’s set to change with a coming release. Keanu Reeves officially has two new John Wick movies on the way, and that’s not even including the soon-to-come Ballerina spinoff. Naturally, we can expect at least more of the high-octane and outlandishly inventive action that’s been responsible for some of John Wick’s best stunts. However, it’s also exciting to get to explore the world a bit more and learn more about the story of this man known as the Baba Yaga.
Not all movies in the franchise have done this equally well. It’s fairly intuitive what John Wick’s High Table is meant to be, and one ᴀssumes that at least the characters know how many of those ᴀssᴀssin coins translate into a $14 million bounty. But every single movie has introduced new aspects of John’s world that could merit more exploration, and the continuation of the franchise promises to finally deliver on that. Before we get there, however, we have to dive into one aspect of the films that curiously hasn’t been shown more often.
John Wick’s Prequel Will Fully Show Us The Real John Wick
We’ll Finally See The Boogeyman At Work
As fun as it might be to watch John run around slaughtering people with pencils and horse legs, we’ve never really seen the Boogeyman of legend. In most movies, John Wick only fights for either survival or revenge. His life as a paid ᴀssᴀssin remains largely unseen. He’s forced to take a hit in John Wick: Chapter 2, but he infiltrates Gianna’s compound without resistance and more or less just watches her die before putting in the final bullet. Whatever skills earned John Wick the name of “Boogeyman” have yet to be fully seen.
Thanks to details on the upcoming animated John Wick prequel, we know the story will take place long before John Wick’s dog died and instead focus on the “Impossible Task” that gave him the freedom to leave his old life behind and start anew with Helen. This means that the prequel will show John Wick at the height of his ᴀssᴀssin career when he was capable of doing things no other person could. And because animation lacks the limitations of live-action film, the prequel can show this side to its fullest.
How John Wick’s Prequel Connects To John Wick 2
Santino Basically Has To Be A Character
The only reason John held to Santino’s marker in John Wick: Chapter 2 is because Santino helped John complete the Impossible Task that bought his freedom. Since the John Wick animated prequel focuses on this specific job, there’s basically no way the prequel can tell John’s story without explaining Santino’s role in it. The first sequel never really made it clear how Santino helped John, but the sheer amount of help he relies on in each movie suggests that Santino’s role was likely vital to John’s success.
Shannon Tindle, who recently directed Ultraman: Rising, will direct the John Wick anime movie.
John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski has said before that they wanted to build out an entire fantasy world once they started really acknowledging their full franchise potential, and elaborating on Santino’s role in John’s Impossible Task could actually lead to further world-building. From what we’ve seen of the High Table thus far, they only seem to get their hands dirty when necessary or when motivated by vengeance. The rest of the time, they hire muscle to be their wards. If Santino helped John by calling on outside help, that could introduce a new hiring agency to John’s world.
The Real John Wick Will Also Appear In Ballerina
And Previous Movies Might’ve Given Away A Plot Point
Outside of the animated prequel, the next exciting chance to see the legendary Boogeyman in action will be the upcoming spinoff From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. Set between Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, the film will include a sequence in which John Wick is apparently sent to exterminate the тιтular character, Eve. Granted, since Keanu’s character is ultimately the primary selling point of the franchise, it seems likely that he’ll abandon his ᴀssignment at some point and wind up briefly joining forces with her.
In addition to Ballerina, John Wick 5, and the anime prequel, a Caine spinoff is also in development.
However, there’s another interesting way for Ballerina to explore the nature of John Wick’s Baba Yaga persona. In the second film, he’s twice established as having stabbed his prey in vital body parts but giving them the chance to live if they didn’t pull out the blade prematurely. Watching that play out more fully onscreen in the new John Wick spinoff and seeing how Eve survives afterward could lead to an interesting development for both characters. Either way, it’s endlessly exciting to see how this growing franchise might continue giving us new insights into this bizarre world of ᴀssᴀssin-centric intrigue.
John Wick
“John Wick” is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of ᴀssᴀssins.
- Created by
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Derek Kolstad
- First Film
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John Wick
- Latest Film
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John Wick: Chapter 4
- Upcoming Films
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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
- Cast
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Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Laurence Fishburne, Anjelica Huston, Bill Skarsgard, Mel Gibson, Donnie Yen
- TV Show(s)
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The Continental
- Character(s)
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John Wick, Winston, Charon, The Bowery King, Sofia Al-Azwar, Caine, Marquis Vincent de Gramont, Ares
- Video Game(s)
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John Wick Hex
