Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns confirms plans for a new John Wick spinoff show. Proving an ever-increasing box office boon for the studio, the John Wick franchise has recently expanded to include the prequel series The Continental. Meanwhile, the property’s upcoming spinoff movie Ballerina was recently pushed back to 2025 to allow new action sequences to be filmed. Additionally, in May last year, director Chad Stahelski revealed his intentions to develop a new John Wick show that would allow him to explore “great stories that we could do in the short form on TV.”
Speaking at a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference (via Deadline), Burns offered insight into two of the studio’s upcoming projects. Also mentioning plans for a Twilight animated series, the Lionsgate executive suggested further expanding “one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves” in television format. Check out his comments below:
I think we’ll take one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves, I think it’ll be a television series.
Can Another John Wick Show Survive Without Keanu Reeves?
Between the likes of Lawrence Fishburne’s Bowery King, Rina Sawayama’s Akira, and Clancy Brown’s Harbinger, a wealth of interesting characters could potentially take center stage in the franchise's next television spinoff.
While the John Wick franchise has expanded to become one of contemporary cinema’s most fascinating fictional worlds, a TV show has yet to prove that it can deliver compelling stories without Reeves’ titular hitman at its center. In sharp contrast to the healthy box office appeal of the movies, last year’s The Continental attracted mixed reviews, and its action sequences fell short of the films that inspired it.
Meanwhile, franchise star Ian McShane, who portrays Winston, recently explained why the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina spinoff was delayed a whole year. He stated it was to “protect the franchise” by having Stahelski film brand-new action sequences. As such, it would seem that Lionsgate’s plans to expand the John Wick franchise beyond the original movies are already fraught with difficulties, causing concerns about whether the various spinoffs are capable of successfully standing on their own merits. Furthermore, the strong demands for a John Wick 5 hint at the challenges the franchise faces without Reeves as the lead.
Keanu Reeves is confirmed to be appearing as John Wick in Ballerina , though the extent of his character's involvement is not clear.
Nonetheless, the world of John Wick has already introduced countless other characters that could potentially headline this new spinoff show and still appeal to established audiences. Between the likes of Lawrence Fishburne’s Bowery King, Rina Sawayama’s Akira, and Clancy Brown’s Harbinger, a wealth of interesting characters could potentially take center stage in the franchise's next television spinoff. The question remains, however, whether they could prove to be as equally engaging as Reeves’ legendary Baba Yaga.
Source: Deadline
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