TheJohn Wickfranchise has grown into a major IP over the years, but it has just admitted its biggest flaw ahead of Keanu Reeves’ apparent return. Since 2014, Keanu Reeves has starred as the titular character in the neo-noir action thriller film series, featuring in four movies in total. TheJohn Wickfranchise has mostly centered around the legendary hitman’s reluctant return to the criminal underworld, exploring various missions and threats following his venture out of retirement. However,John Wick 4’sendingprovided a pretty definitive conclusion for the famous Keanu Reeves action character due to his unfortunate death.
While there have been various spin-off projects to expand the beloved franchise, from comic books to TV shows, for the longest time, it looked like we had seen the last ofJohn Wickfollowing the fourth movie’s conclusion. However, in a shocking turn of events,Keanu Reeves was confirmed to return inJohn Wick 5at CinemaConin April 2025, with Chad Stahelski set to direct. While there haven’t been manyJohn Wick: Chapter 5updatessince, as it is still early days,the announcement of Keanu Reeves’ return essentially admitted that the franchise cannot work without John Wick himself.
There’s No John Wick Without Keanu Reeves, And The Continental Proved It
WhileThe Continental: From the World of John Wickwas a decent spinoff series, it proved thatupcomingJohn Wickmovies and TV showswould suffer without Keanu Reeves.The Continentalwas a Peacock original miniseries which starred Colin Woodell asa young Winston Scott in the 1970s, detailing how he came to be the proprietor of the New York branch of “The Continental” chain of hotels, which provide a safe haven for professional assassins. The series only aired three episodes, and it scored a decent 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was still a far cry from the films.
$86 million
$174.3 million
$327.7 million
$440.1 million
John Wick: Chapter 5(TBA)
TBD
AlthoughThe Continentalbuilt more on the expanding world ofJohn Wick, offering Winston Scott a proper backstory and providing more history of how The Continental came to be, it didn’t quite capture the balance in runtime or the overall feel of the movies. As a result, the series has received somewhat mixed reviews. Therefore, while it functioned well as a miniseries, it is no surprise that aThe Continentalupdate stated it was unlikely for renewal for season 2, asthe characters could not live up to the presentation standards set by Keanu Reeves’ John Wick in the films.
John Wick’s Next Spinoff Will Include Keanu Reeves
Ballerina Will Feature John Wick In Some Capacity
Fortunately, theJohn Wickfranchise’snext spinoff will include Keanu Reeves once more.From the World of John Wick: Ballerinais an upcoming movie set between the events of the third and fourth films. This timeline allowsBallerinato have an easyJohn Wickuniverse connectionas it means Keanu Reeves is free to return without retconning Wick’s death in the fourth movie.Ballerinais scheduled to be released by Lionsgate in June, and is said to follow ballerina-assassin Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) as she begins training in the traditions of the Ruska Roma to avenge her father’s death.
Ballerinais set to release on July 20, 2025.
With John Wick returning inBallerina,we will see Keanu Reeves as the fan favorite hitman grace our screens for the first time since 2023’s conclusive ending. However, there’s a host of other actors joiningJohn Wick’scast inBallerina, including newcomers Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus. While it will be great to see John Wick again, as his inclusion makes the spinoff much more interesting for fans of the franchise, with his character not being the focus of the film, the movie may still be at risk of poor reception, mirroringThe Continentalspinoff.
John Wick 5 Starring Keanu Reeves Is The Safest Option For The Franchise
Spinoffs Are Fun, But They Can’t Replace A John Wick Sequel
While spinoffs are certainly fun, they simply cannot replace aJohn Wicksequel, soJohn Wick: Chapter 5starring Keanu Reeves is probably the safest option for the franchise.The Continentalminiseries tried to shift the focus onto another character in theJohn Wickuniverse, a young Winston Scott, to flesh out the world of the assassins. However,the majority of fans did not care enough about Winston Scott in the movies to dedicate themselves to an entire TV series. Therefore, it is important for prominent and likablecharacters to return in theJohn Wick: Chapter 5sequel.
As the titular character, it doesn’t make much sense to have anotherJohn Wickmovie without John Wick himself appearing.
As the titular character, it doesn’t make much sense to have anotherJohn Wickmovie without John Wick himself appearing. That being said, the next installment will need to address the fourth movie’s ending, which suggested John Wick had finally met his demise. Consequently,John Wick: Chapter 5could be similar to the first movie, in that the character will somehow need to come back from the dead, mirroring 2014’s movie arc of him coming out of retirement. Either way,Keanu Reeves’ return is a safe option for the franchise’s nextJohn Wickproject, as he has proven his likability.
I Love The World Of John Wick, But I Love Keanu Reeves' Character Even More
More John Wick Content With Keanu Reeves Will Always Be Better
The truth is that, while I love the world ofJohn Wick, it is Keanu Reeves’ character that makes me want to keep watching. Following the success of the first movie, directorChad Stahelski explained his plan for building aJohn Wickuniversewhich focused on many different characters and aspects of the assassin’s world. In fact, Stahelski recalled stating, “let’s go full Lord of the Rings” in reference to the franchise’s expansive world. So,while it makes sense that spinoffs about different characters will be explored to realize Stahelski’s plan, the franchise may move away from John Wick’s story.
Keanu Reeves has notably done many of his own stunts inJohn Wick, showing his dedication to the role. The inherent likability of the actor in real life even carries over into the movies, as John Wick is actually quite a funny character, despite his murderous profession, with the franchise poking fun at its own genre at times. From the beginning,John Wick’stragic story and extraordinary combat skills captured the audience’s attention, drawing us to the franchise in 2014. So, while worldbuilding is great, more John Wick content will always be better, especially with Keanu Reeves at the helm.
