John Wick Headed To Space?
Who does he need to kill in space?
This article is more than 2 years old
They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. John Wick might be counting on that. The Keanu Reeves action franchise is known for its over-the-top action and inventive ways to kill bad guys, and director Chad Stahelski isn’t ruling out the possibility of John Wick exacting some brutal justice in zero gravity on the final frontier. Asked if the franchise could ever go to space, Stahelski told ComicBook.com, “There’s a distinct possibility it could.” The John Wick co-director continued, “I don’t know if I’d be piloting the ship, but could the character go? Even as a fan, I think the John Wick world is kind of fun and interesting. But the sky’s the limit,” he said. That likely won’t happen in John Wick 4, if the first teaser of the film, released at the San Diego Comic Con last month, is any indicator.
Stahelski is currently promoting Day Shift, Jamie Foxx’s vampire-hunting horror comedy, which he produced for Netflix. The trailer promotes the film as being “From the guys who taught John Wick how to kick ass,” so the subject of Mr. Wick is likely to come up in any conversation. ComicBook.com writer Adam Barnhardt decided the possibility of Keanu in space was a subject worth asking about, and Stahelski actually embraced the idea. “We’re not coming from an existing IP, so I don’t have to follow Batman lore,” he says of the freedom he has with John Wick’s future. “I can do anything.”
It took the Fast and the Furious franchise 20 years to get to space, having finally achieved the feat in 2021’s F9: The Fast Saga. The producers of John Wick may not have to wait that long, and Stahelski isn’t ruling out the idea of ten more movies, if the ideas are fresh. Should the movie series continue, going to space may be an inevitability. “If Fast and Furious can, I’m sure we can,” he said. “Might take a little longer, but let’s stay earthbound for now and try to keep doing a good job down here.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to premiere in theaters on March 24, 2023, and returning cast members include Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, and Lance Reddick. The film also introduces a number of new cast members, including Donnie Yen (Rogue One), Shamier Anderson (Wynonna Earp), Bill Skarsgård (It Chapters 1 & 2), Hiroyuki Sanada (Mortal Kombat, Westworld), Scott Adkins (Zero Dark Thirty), and Clancy Brown (Starship Troopers) as new characters. There are several sci-fi veterans in that list, so don’t rule out going to space in a future film. Although Chapter 4 is supposed to end the current story arc for John Wick, the movies themselves likely aren’t going anywhere. Even at the age of 57, Keanu Reeves is currently signed to do John Wick 5, and he has voiced his eagerness to do more films reprising the character.
Even if Keanu Reeves himself never takes the franchise to space, there are some spinoffs that could do it. There are currently two John Wick spinoffs in store: first is The Continental, an event series for Starz starring Mel Gibson and Colin Woodell telling the backstory of the hotel that is a safe haven for the assassins of the High Table. It’s set in the 1970s, so it’s likely to stay earthbound. The second spinoff is Ballerina, a Len Wiseman-directed film starring Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049). That alone is enough to make most action fans want to buy a ticket, but you put Ana de Armas floating weightless in space and it could make a billion dollars. “Anything can happen,” Stahelski said.
