John Wick without a main character would be like splitting Tom from Jerry, Bonnie from Clyde, or macaroni from cheese. At least, that’s what it seems at first glance.
For Peacock, a relative newcomer to the streaming platform space, Continental has been a huge success. It quickly became Peacock’s biggest original and remains in the top 5 Peacock originals.
However, that may be the secret. After all, The Continental is not John Wick. As it stands, separating the title from its predecessor seems like the right choice.
Or maybe there’s more to do.
No one thought a Star Wars movie would be successful without the original cast. This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
The problem the entertainment industry has to overcome is association, while at the same time restraining itself from overdoing it.
Building the John Wick Universe
No one had high expectations for the original John Wick.
It’s an action film that opens and closes, with some interesting lore thrown in and some great fight cinematography.
Ultimately, however, the story is pretty standard. Criminals break into the home of a man with an interesting history. The criminals blindly robbed him, stole his favorite car, and killed his dog.
The man with this interesting history goes on a killing spree to avenge his dog, the latter being a physical manifestation of his feelings and memories of his dead wife.
Pretty cut and dry, right? Nonetheless, it quickly became a crowd favorite, propelling the John Wick franchise to three direct sequels, one spin-off, and a number of planned and/or rumored spin-offs.
Maybe it’s the audience’s love for Neo and Keanu Reeves as Neo and John Wick. Perhaps the film lacks a political statement – just mindless entertainment for the masses.
Perhaps it’s these characters that bring a certain gravitas to a simple story, opening the door to deeper, more captivating story possibilities.
Maybe it’s something simple like using the odd gold coin to buy something, adhering to ancient but honorable rules, or a hint of a wider political hierarchy – a shadow state criminal enterprise as old as the Roman Empire.
In fact, it’s probably a combination of all of the above. After four movies and huge profits, it’s hard to imagine a “John Wick” movie without “Wick’s” protagonist, a mega-criminal Baba Yaga.
Starring John Wick is not strictly necessary
If the first film had simply survived as a wildly successful cult epic, this discussion might not be necessary. However, four movies later, the universe is too much to deny.
Continental has at least proven that a John Wick movie or TV series can be successful without its main character.
Over the course of the first film and the three subsequent sequels, the universe of John Wick grew larger and more fleshed out.
Of course, viewers, myself included, were completely immersed in John Wick’s adventures, but we also wanted to know more.
A good film can turn even the most mundane objects into seductive stories whose words are merely hidden by future creative storytelling. John Wick also has a lot of strong supporting characters, and they all have their own histories.
In the case of “Continental,” Colin Woodall’s Winston Scott is a fascinating character. His portrayal in the John Wick movies is enough to make us want more and more.
Examples of successful franchises
Successful spin-offs and rich storytelling aren’t inherent to John Wick . Star Wars is a prime example. It’s hard to imagine anyone sitting in the captain’s chair other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk.
Picard showed up and the rest is history.
Many captains and their interstellar voyages have found success on screens large and small. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them proves that the absence of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Wesley is no fortress.
Even better, plans are in the works for a Harry Potter reboot series. Star Wars has achieved a level of success in the years since the original trilogy was released. The same goes for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the original Avengers fit into the shoes of John Wick.
On the other hand, there are many examples of exactly the opposite. Luckily, this is mostly due to bad writing, bad production, bad advertising, and a host of other incompetent factors.
The point is, successful franchises can and do happen, even if they veer off the original path and leave behind beloved and well-known characters.
Audience participation is necessary
Marketing strategies often fail or fail.
The key is to keep things simple. Of course, viewers need to know that this is part of the John Wick universe, but that’s where it ends.
Without a focus on world-building, new protagonists, mystery, and production values, consumers will continue to be stuck in the John Wick mindset.
Of course, there’s more, including press conferences, exclusive previews, interactive events, occasional cross-promotions, trailers, and fan engagement through social media.
It can be done, but it takes effort. Obviously, the final product must be worth the audience’s time.
If this were a craven, money-making spin-off, audiences would see through it and abandon ship en masse.
Without John Wick‘s main character, viewers had to have a reason to engage with this new product, loosely tied to the original they loved.
There’s more than just the obvious reasons why audiences care about quality. Quality goes beyond CGI and cinematography, although those are important too.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if John Wick is the main character, as long as the story can stand on its own, provide a deep and interesting story, and have characters we can root for, sympathize with, and enjoy.
Spin-off challenges and considerations
No one can forget that, no matter who stars in the lead role, the John Wick spinoff is anything but.
Balancing nostalgia and innovation is a careful craft—an art form in itself. New, interesting plots, ideas, and themes are not only important; They are very popular.
The nostalgia element has to feel natural, not something a boring writer, producer or director shoehorned in because it sounds cool in theory.
There’s also the danger of oversaturation, for which Disney currently has the ability to write a very instructive playbook.
Currently, several John Wick spin-offs are in negotiation, pre-production, or rumored.
- “Ballerina” is a spin-off movie starring Ana de Armas, scheduled to be released on June 6, 2025
- “John Wick 5” is currently in development (with Keanu Reeves)
- Erica Lee, one of the producers of the ‘John Wick’ franchise, confirms another movie is in the works
- Sofia is naming a rumored project that will see Halle Berry return to reprise the role
- A crossover between Johne Wick and Nobody is currently circulating in rumors
Who knows? But we’re just exploring in the ’80s, and we actually have a plan for what’s going to happen in the ’80s.
-Continental director Albert Hughes when asked about the potential for a second season.
Ultimately, when it comes to successful spin-offs, the proof is in the pudding.
It can be done, and in the case of John Wick , it has been done despite not having Keanu Reeves in the lead.
So far, Continental is the only example, but more are sure to come.
What do you think of spin-offs in the John Wick franchise? Can you watch a John Wick spinoff without Keanu starring in it? Let us know in the comments below!
