Every Upcoming John Wick Spin-Off, Explained

"John Wick" has to be one of the more unexpected franchises in Hollywood right now. Conceived as nothing more than a modest action-revenge movie, it became a star vehicle for Keanu Reeves to show everyone he still had it.

Each successive "John Wick" sequel has one-upped the previous movie without leaving quality behind. But while the idea of a "John Wick" cinematic universe has been bubbling for a while, the only spin-off that's been released so far was the 2023 "Continental" mini-series.

The "John Wick" films do tease a larger world. Few characters recur across every single one of the films, besides John himself, Winston (Ian McShane), and Continental hotel concierge Charon (the late Lance Reddick). People dip in and out of John Wick's story, giving the impression they're off living their own lives. A spin-off has been floated for practically every major "John Wick" character, whether that be the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne, Reeves' former "Matrix" co-star), introduced in "John Wick Chapter 2," or the assassin Sofia (Halle Berry) from "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum."

But here are the spin-offs that are actually currently in development or on track to be released.

The first trip back into the world of "John Wick" is coming this June: "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina."

Ana de Armas will star as Eve Macarro, a ballerina/assassin raised by the Director's (Anjelica Huston) Ruska Roma crime syndicate. Like John, she's out for revenge — but against the man who killed her father, not her dog. That man is known as the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne).

"Ballerina" is set between "John Wick: Chapter 3" and "John Wick: Chapter 4." Wick, Winston, Charon, and the Director are all appearing in "Ballerina." Norman Reedus will also be appearing as a man named Daniel Pine; it's not clear yet if he's Eve's ally or enemy.

According to the "Ballerina" trailer, our previous heroes are trying to control Eve's rampage before it gets too big to rein in. It appears that, as she gets closer to her prey, the Director will send in Wick to dissuade her. We'll see if Eve can match up with John Wick.

The credited director of "Ballerina" is Len Wiseman (director of the "Underworld") films. However, "John Wick" director Chad Stahelski reportedly oversaw extensive reshoots. During a February 2024 appearance on British talk show "The One Show," McShane bluntly described this as "not reshoots, but new shoots," saying the producers decided they needed to "protect the franchise" and ensure better quality.

Even before the release of "John Wick: Chapter 4," there was talk of a fifth movie. That made it surprising when the fourth movie presented itself as a conclusion, but development of "John Wick: Chapter 5" didn't die down. Lionsgate recently confirmed at CinemaCon in April that "John Wick: Chapter 5" is still happening.

In a recent interview with /Film, Stahelski admitted, "I can't tell you what 'John Wick 5' is about because we haven't quite got it all down." However, his quotes from that conversation imply that he at least wants to keep pulling influence from international cinema, as the previous "Wick" sequels have, but this time pay homage to Chinese cinema in particular. Stahelski also teased to Empire that the fifth movie will begin a new arc:

"The saga of John Wick was pretty wrapped up. So the only way to do a 5 is to have a new story that involves John Wick. It's not a continuation, with the High Table. John dealt with his grief. It will be really different."

"John Wick: Chapter 4" built up to John's death. During a card game, he pulls the dead man's hand. He discusses with his friends what he wants his gravestone to say. ("Loving husband.") The final cut of the movie excluded a shot confirming John is alive in favor of ending on his gravestone.

An idea that's gotten traction among fans is that "John Wick: Chapter 5" will feature him fighting through Hell. This would preserve John's death in "Chapter 4" and definitely be something different. This could let the movie bring back some familiar faces and long-dead foes of John, too. (For another "Matrix" reunion in the vein of Fishburne as the Bowery King, imagine Hugo Weaving or Joe Pantoliano as the Devil.) There's an emotional angle too that would give John reason to fight: Even in the afterlife, he's not reunited with his wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan).

Of course, this idea is all audience speculation, so don't hold your breath that the real "John Wick: Chapter 5" will get so out-there.

In the original "John Wick," his former boss Viggo (Michael Nyqvist) said that when John requested to leave the assassin life behind, he gave him "an impossible task, a job no-one could have pulled off ... The bodies he buried that day laid the foundation of what we are now." 

We've still received very little detail about what this "impossible task" was. "John Wick: Chapter 2" revealed that John needed to call in a favor from crime boss Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), but that's about it. Thankfully, the mystery won't last for much longer.

An animated prequel film, reported in October 2024, will depict John completing the impossible task. Shannon Tindle ("Ultraman Rising") is directing and Vanessa Taylor ("The Shape of Water") is writing the script. Reeves will also be voicing John in the movie, because even in another medium, the role is his. 

The film, which is not yet titled, is being made in the style of an anime. In a statement (via IndieWire), Stahelski said about the prequel:

"I've always been fascinated with anime. It has always been a huge influence on me, especially with the 'John Wick' series. To have the opportunity to develop a 'John Wick' anime seems to be the perfect progression for the 'John Wick' world. I feel 'John Wick' is the perfect property for this medium — anime holds the potential to expand our world, our characters, and our action in ways unimaginable before."

Stahelski has anime experience under his belt: He designed the action scenes for "Lazarus," the new anime from "Cowboy Bebop" director Shinichirō Watanabe. Speaking of Watanabe, this "John Wick" prequel will give Keanu Reeves another crack at anime stardom after the live-action "Cowboy Bebop" movie, in which he would've starred as Spike Spiegel, got stuck in development hell.

Finally, another spin-off in the vein of "Ballerina" is in the works. "John Wick: Chapter 4" introduced Caine (Donnie Yen), another master assassin and old colleague of John's. Like John, Caine was living a peaceful retirement, but he's recruited to kill John by Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård). To ensure Caine's compliance, the Marquis holds his daughter hostage.

Caine is just as skilled a fighter as John — arguably even moreso, since unlike John, Caine is blind. He uses noise-making motion detectors to let him know where/when his opponents move, and fights with a staff (or cane, get it?). Caine's whole character seems crafted in the image of Yen's previous English-language role: Chirrut in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

Caine's first big action scene in "Chapter 4," is when he raids the Osaka Continental Hotel to get at John, killing the hotel manager Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada). However, in the third act, Caine comes to John's aid to help him get to his duel with the Marquis. 

Word of a spin-off about Caine emerged shortly after the release of "John Wick: Chapter 4" and it was confirmed once more at CinemaCon 2025. It has been described as a Hong Kong-style action movie like the kind Yen has spent his career making. Yen himself is not only starring in but also directing the movie, and Mattson Tomlin ("The Batman") will be writing the script. 

There was a post-credits scene in "John Wick: Chapter 4" suggesting that Koji's daughter, Shimazu Akira (Rina Sawayama), is seeking revenge for Caine killing her father. Sawayama is set to reprise her role in the "Caine" spin-off, so it appears the movie will follow up on that stinger's promise.