John Wick is getting more spinoff projects, but given the middling reception of The Continental, the success of these expansions is questionable.

Starting out as an independent action movie, the John Wick series has become a major franchise. Seeing four movies grace the big screen, the series is now expanding with spinoffs in both movie and TV show form. Unfortunately, this might be testing the limits of the brand a bit too much.

Given how John Wick: Chapter 4 ended, it’s questionable whether now is the right time for such spinoffs. Conversely, the quality of the first of these new projects left a lot to be desired, and there’s the risk of the series watering itself down in the quest for content. This leaves a lot riding on The Ballerina, which is currently the next such project from the world of John Wick.

More John Wick Spinoffs are On the Way

The first John Wick spinoff was 2023’s The Continental, a TV series which explored the early days of characters such as Winston and Charon. The show premiered on the streaming service Peacock, giving fans more of a taste of the series’ world in the same year that saw the release of John Wick: Chapter 4. The property has become one of the biggest R-rated action movie franchises in modern cinema, and the spinoffs attest to this. Of course, The Continental isn’t the extent of these spinoff projects, with several more on the way.

John Wick Presents: Ballerina has been in the works for a while, with the movie spinning out from the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Portrayed by Ana de Armas, the title character is a ballerina who trains to get revenge after the murder of her family. Though she’ll be the protagonist, franchise characters such as Winston, Charon and John Wick himself will appear in smaller roles, along with Anjelica Huston’s The Director from Parabellum. It’s also been announced that Donnie Yen’s character, Caine, from John Wick: Chapter 4 will also be getting a solo movie.

These are just some of the projects that have been confirmed, with other movies such as a crossover with Atomic Blonde also being considered. Likewise, an animated movie and similarly experimental John Wick projects have also been discussed, with shows such as The Continental only the beginning of what may be a much wider shared universe. Unfortunately, given how these spinoffs started off, it might be best to pump the breaks on them for now.

The John Wick Spinoffs May Not Be off to a Great Start

The Continental: From the World of John Wick came out in the same year as the fourth John Wick movie, but reception has been middling at best. The TV show was noticeably panned by fans and critics, with the biggest sin it committed was that the action was particularly lacking. Given the talent involved with the series, not to mention the pedigree of the franchise as a whole, it was definitely a step-down from expectations. Some saw it as merely “padding” to give the Peacock streaming service more content, with the result being the watering down of an otherwise beloved movie brand.

Previously, actor Ian McShane — who portrays Winston Scott in the series — spoke out with concerning yet comforting news about Ballerina. The movie’s reshoots are actually “new shoots,” with Chad Stahelski (who directed the first four movies) brought in to supposedly make the movie better. According to McShane, “they’ve got to protect the franchise,” and this statement was followed by his noting a lack of this care in the production of The Continental. While this suggests that Ballerina will have improved quality in its finalized form, it also speaks to the movie previously being in a bad state before Stahelski came on board. Given this and the reception to The Continental, the fear over these spinoffs being unnatural extensions of the franchise still loom.

Will There Be a John Wick: Chapter 5?

Another upcoming movie in the series is John Wick: Chapter 5, which is still being pre-produced and doesn’t have a release date. Franchise star Keanu Reeves is set to return, though the nature of his role is still highly questionable. The ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 saw the character seemingly killed off in a duel against the Marquis of the High Table, with Winston and the Bowery King paying their respects at his grave. It’s highly likely that this death was a ruse, however, especially since the movie’s original ending was supposedly much more ambiguous concerning his fate. Once again, however, this begs the question whether the series truly needs more installments.

While concerns of “superhero fatigue” in movies based on comic books has become a common cinematic issue, a similar query exists for other enduring franchises. While the John Wick series has only four movies so far, the last film ended with what many might have felt was a satisfying conclusion. Any further entries might be seen as inorganic extensions, especially since even Ian McShane called The Continental a “cash grab.” There may still be enough fuel in the car for one final John Wick movie, but the viability of spinoffs that don’t star the character are still highly suspect.

The Best Time for John Wick Spinoffs Has Passed

Given how John Wick: Chapter 4 ended and the exciting cliffhanger ending of its predecessor, the time to produce spinoffs in the series and test its boundaries may have already passed. Given the hype from Parabellum’s conclusion and the way in which the movie expanded the series’ universe, this was the time to experiment with spinoffs such as The Continental. Likewise, Ballerina was a shoo-in for this release schedule, as it’s based on events shown in the third film. If those projects had been successful, it would have shown that there was life for the series beyond John Wick himself. Now, this concept is highly up in the air, especially with how the TV series was received.

The good news beyond the seeming protective nature over Ballerina is that the Caine character from John Wick: Chapter 4 was well received. Giving him a spinoff movie might be seen by some as inorganic, but if done with more careful planning, most fans will likely embrace it. Hopefully, the spinoff and Ballerina are good enough on their own and good enough to maintain goodwill for the brand, as another project on the level of The Continental would certainly be disastrous. Anything less than adequate may very well detract from the hype and anticipation for John Wick: Chapter 5, which already has a lot of skepticism towards it. Hopefully, the busy studio Lionsgate makes all of the upcoming entries in the series up to par through focus, commitment and sheer will.