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All 4 Upcoming John Wick Movies & Spinoffs Explained
These are the movies and TV shows currently being developed as part of the John Wick franchise. Sneaking up just like Baba Yaga himself, John Wick caught the world unawares in 2014. Contending with a relatively modest budget and marketing presence - especially for a Keanu Reeves movie - John Wick premiered to solid box office and impressive reviews, but it was word of mouth that ensured the assassin-turned-dog-lover became Reeves' most recognizable performance since unplugging from The Matrix. A sequel was quickly given the go-ahead, but few expected lightning to strike twice for the neo-noir action thriller.
Strike twice it did, and 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2 brought even greater fortune, whilst also laying foundations for a larger future by deepening John's fascinating world of mercenary etiquette. Having defied expectations twice, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum continued that same positive trend, cementing Wick as the face of a bona fide Hollywood IP.
With no intention to stop at a trilogy, Lionsgate will continue denying John Wick his well-earned retirement. As well as additional movie sequels, John Wick will also branch into spinoffs and TV, probing specific areas of the High Table's criminal underworld. Here's every John Wick movie and TV show currently on the burn, and what we know about each thus far.
John Wick: Chapter 4
The next time Keanu Reeves suits up and crams an obscene amount of firearms into his tuxedo pockets will be John Wick: Chapter 4, due for release on May 27, 2022. The latest chapter in the mainline film series, John Wick: Chapter 4 was one of many productions delayed due to COVID-19, falling back an entire year from its original May 2021 spot. Filming eventually began in June 2021, and John Wick: Chapter 4 officially wrapped principle photography that October.
Keanu Reeves will be joined by some familiar faces for John Wick: Chapter 4 - series regulars Laurence Fishburne (The Bowery King), Lance Reddick (Charon), and Ian McShane (Winston) are all confirmed. However, John Wick: Chapter 4 also introduces a roster of exciting newcomers, including Clancy Brown, Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, Bill Skarsgård, Marko Zaror and Shamier Anderson. Musician Rina Sawayama makes her movie debut as "Akira" too. Chad Stahelski will once again direct from a script this time written by Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum) and Michael Finch.
Though plot details for John Wick: Chapter 4 remain under wraps, a few telling deductions can be made. The narrative will pick up following the previous movie's cliffhanger ending, where Winston (seemingly) betrayed John, who then dragged his bullet-ridden self to the safety of the Bowery King's hideout. In John Wick: Chapter 4, Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne will team up to take down the enigmatic Agent Smith High Table, which oversees the mercenary world. John earned himself a spot on the High Table hit list after breaking its rules and refusing the Elder's offer to kill Winston as penance, while the Bowery King was grievously injured and had his people slain as punishment for aiding John.
Based on the new casting additions for John Wick: Chapter 4, it's probably safe to predict the storyline will incorporate more hand-to-hand martial arts action than any previous entry. There will be much globetrotting also, as filming took place in Japan, Germany and France. Given the expansive geography, it's no surprise to hear Keanu Reeves promise more world-building than ever in John Wick: Chapter 4.
John Wick: Chapter 5
Due to the success enjoyed by John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 5 was promptly announced in August 2020, well before the intervening installment had even started filming. Such long-term vision is a pretty strong indication of Lionsgate's belief in John Wick's franchise potential. The initial intention was to save money by filming John Wick: Chapter 4 and John Wick: Chapter 5 back-to-back, but that plan was nixed in March 2021, likely as a knock-on effect of COVID-19 delays. With John Wick: Chapter 4 running a year late, it makes sense to focus on getting that film in theaters before moving onto the next.
Predictably, then, there's no word on when John Wick: Chapter 5 will begin filming, let alone when it'll release, and without knowing what happens in John Wick: Chapter 4, gleaning plot details for its follow-up is all but impossible. It's safe to assume Keanu Reeves will be back for his fifth cinematic rampage, but no other character is guaranteed to join him. Even the core supporting cast of Winston, Charon and the Bowery King may not emerge from John Wick: Chapter 4 alive.
Since Lionsgate has only confirmed John Wick for 5 movies at present, it's not clear whether Chapter 5 will serve as Keanu Reeves' uber-violent swansong. The actor himself has intimated that John could continue murdering folks with stationery for as long as the franchise remains successful and creatively fulfilling, meaning John Wick: Chapter 5 won't necessarily mark the main story's conclusion.
The Continental (A John Wick Prequel Show)
Announced back in 2017 as the very first John Wick spinoff, The Continental has been an awfully long time coming. As the title implies, The Continental is based around the chain of hotels owned by the High Table and dotted throughout John Wick's world, these hotels (such as Winston's New York establishment) provide refuge, entertainment and services to any mercenary that falls under High Table jurisdiction, and all are considered neutral ground where no contracts can be executed or scores settled. Despite some confusion over when The Continental will be set (largely due to conflicting ideas behind the scenes), The Continental will take place in the 1970s, and follow a younger Winston beginning his career as a hotelier loyal to the High Table.
Colin Woodell (The Purge, The Flight Attendant) will star as a junior Ian McShane, and be supported by Mishel Prada (Fear The Walking Dead: Passage), Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, and Nhung Kate. Also cast in a main role is Mel Gibson, and his presence has understandably been met with controversy due to the actor's history of racist rants. John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, has confirmed The Continental will provide origin stories for multiple movie characters, so some of the names above could be portraying young versions of familiar figures beyond Winston alone. Though rumors previously suggested Keanu Reeves could cameo, it's difficult to see how this would happen given The Continental's vastly different era.
Still in its casting phase, The Continental hasn't locked in a premiere date, but has at least settled on a format. The Continental season 1 comprises 3 feature-length episodes airing on STARZ. The Book of Eli's Aaron Hughes will direct two of those, and though the third's director isn't yet announced, Chad Stahelski was previously reported to helm the pilot.
Ballerina (A Female-Led John Wick Spin0ff)
Also in 2017, reports of a female-fronted John Wick spinoff movie called Ballerina emerged. According to the initial story, Ballerina began as a spec script, which Lionsgate then purchased as an addition to the John Wick universe. The project went quiet until John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum introduced Anjelica Houston as The Director - the head of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate that adopted John Wick as a child. Houston's character trains her young orphans in the diverse arts of ballet and assassination, and it's safe to assume Ballerina's protagonist is one of her tribe.
Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free Or Die Hard) is attached to directed, while Ana de Armas is rumored for the lead role following her head-turning performance in No Time To Die. According to the casting synopsis, Ballerina's lead is an orphaned assassin seeking vengeance against those who killed her parents - a description that supports the theory she's one of The Director's gang, and suggests the spinoff will honor John Wick's established tone and style. Anjelica Houston could reprise her role from John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, and since Ballerina appears to occur within the contemporary John Wick time frame, a cameo from Keanu Reeves is possible. Even earlier in its development than The Continental, there's no release date set for Ballerina quite yet.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2022)
Release Date: May 27, 2022
