More John Wick Spin-Offs Following Ballerina?
The John Wick spinoff Ballerina could open up the world to even more series and movies in the franchise.
Even though John Wick was only moderately successful when it was released in 2014, the film’s titular character is now the focal point of a shared cinematic universe that continues to expand at a rapid rate. In addition to the highly anticipated fourth installment, which is set to arrive in theaters in March, Lionsgate is developing two John Wick spin-off projects, the miniseries The Continental and the movie Ballerina. During an interview with Total Film, Ballerina writer Shay Hatten teased that the film could pave the way for even more spin-offs in the future.
“I think this movie is just opening up more and more avenues of this world,” said Hatten. He added, “There’s all these little pockets of different crime families, and different corners of the world that John might never have a reason to go visit in his mainline story quest.”
He went on to say that along with the Ballerinas, there are plenty of other factions introduced in previous John Wick films that could be further explored in future spin-offs.
Directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard), Ballerina is said to take place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. In the film, Ana de Armas stars as a young female assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family. Along with series newcomers Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino, Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, and Anjelica Huston are set to reprise their roles from previous franchise installments.
Of course, The Continental is the first of potentially many John Wick spin-offs headed our way. The miniseries is set in 1975 and will feature a young Winston Scott (Colin Woodelll), the manager of the Continental Hotel in New York City, which functions as a neutral territory for members of the criminal underworld. Mel Gibson, Peter Greene, Nhung Kate, Katie McGrath, Jessica Allain, Jeremy Bobb, Adam Shapiro, and Sallay Garnett will also star in the show.
The Continental is set to premiere on Peacock later this year for viewers in the United States. Amazon Prime will stream the event series in all international markets outside of the US, Israel, and the Middle East. Currently, an exact date for the John Wick prequel show’s debut has yet to be announced.
Before any of the forthcoming spin-offs, however, our favorite hitman’s story is set to continue in John Wick: Chapter 4. The legendary assassin (Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating The High Table, but before he can earn his freedom, he must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
Arriving in theaters March 24, 2023, the sequel stars Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, Marko Zaror, Natalia Tena, and Ian McShane.
In addition to John Wick: Chapter 4 and the two upcoming spin-offs, Lionsgate is already developing a fifth installment in its main franchise. Although the film’s script by Shay Hatten and Derek Kolstad is reportedly finished, details surrounding the story are being kept heavily under wraps at this time. There’s no director attached to the project at this time, and other than Keanu Reeves, no other cast members have been announced.
