Lionsgate’s Vice Chairman confirms a new John Wick spinoff show, expanding the franchise beyond movies.
Key Takeaways:
- The new John Wick TV Series Confirmed
- Lionsgate’s strategy to broaden the John Wick franchise
- John Wick spinoff without Keanu Reeves
Lionsgate‘s Vice Chairman, Michael Burns, has confirmed a new John Wick spinoff show. The franchise, which has been a major success at the box office, recently saw expansion with the prequel series The Continental. The spinoff movie, Ballerina, has been delayed to 2025 for additional action sequences.
Director Chad Stahelski has expressed interest in a new John Wick TV show to explore more stories. Burns also mentioned plans for a Twilight animated series and hinted at further TV expansions for action franchises like John Wick starring Keanu Reeves. Check out his comments below (via Deadline):
“I think we’ll take one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves, I think it’ll be a television series.”
Lionsgate broadens John Wick with spinoffs
Lionsgate is making a TV series to expand the John Wick franchise, which already includes a prequel series called The Continental.
While details about the storyline and characters of the new John Wick TV series are still unknown, the franchise has numerous characters who could potentially take the lead in the spinoff.
Michael Burns went on to say (via Deadline):
“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.”
Can a John Wick spinoff succeed without Keanu Reeves?
Despite the John Wick franchise’s success in cinema, a TV show hasn’t proven it can tell engaging stories without Reeves’ character. The Continental, released last year, received mixed reviews and didn’t match the action quality of the films.
Ian McShane, who plays Winston in the franchise, explained that the delay of the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina spinoff was to “protect the franchise” by filming new action sequences.
This shows that Lionsgate’s expansion of the John Wick universe beyond the original movies is facing difficulties. There are concerns about whether the spinoffs can stand on their own.
Additionally, the strong demand for a John Wick 5 suggests challenges without Reeves as the lead.
However, the world of John Wick has already introduced numerous other characters that could potentially carry this new spinoff show and still attract existing fans.
Characters like Lawrence Fishburne’s Bowery King, Rina Sawayama’s Akira, and Clancy Brown’s Harbinger offer a rich pool of options.
The big question is whether these characters can captivate audiences as much as Reeves’ iconic Baba Yaga.
The John Wick series does not have a confirmed release date at this time.
Source: Deadline
