The
Summary
- The John Wick franchise continues with spin-off projects, including one led by iconic actor Donnie Yen.
- Yen was confirmed as director of the Caine project and has been praised for elevating the action genre and bringing a unique vision.
- Despite past spin-off hurdles, Yen and crew aim to make Caine’s adventure a success with an experienced team.
While the John Wick franchise seemingly brought the narrative to a decisive end in its last major outing, the franchise is bouncing back with multiple projects, including one that’s been eagerly anticipated.
The first John Wick film caught many fans by surprise, but it became very clear that Keanu Reeves’ titular ex-assassin had a ton of staying power in his suit pockets. After four successful films and a whole mountain of pop culture relevance to boot, Wick is now in the conversation for the title of ultimate action hero. As such, despite that fourth project ending in the character’s on-screen demise, it was clear that it wouldn’t be the end of the franchise that Reeves had helped build. Fans and execs alike have envisioned tons of spin-off ideas, two of which have already been realized via The Continental: From the World of John Wick and From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and more of which are in the works.
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Keanu Reeves seems pretty sure that John Wick is dead and buried, but even he has a better chance of returning than one prominent franchise star.
One of the most prominent candidates for a spinoff project was iconic martial arts actor Donnie Yen’s Caine, the blind High Table assassin who is drawn into the plot to kill Wick via threats to his daughter’s life. Thanks to the writing and stellar performance from Yen, Caine remained sympathetic and popular with fans despite starting off as an antagonist, and it was suggested that Yen was in line for a John Wick spinoff project of his own.
Per TheWrap’s reporting on Lionsgate’s CinemaCon presentation, the project is officially in the works at Lionsgate as part of Chad Stahelski’s deal to oversee the expansion of the ‘John Wick’ universe, with the company hailing the project as being “stylistically modeled on the uniquely designed action films that Yen helped make famous.” Additionally, Yen himself has finally been confirmed as the project’s director and released a statement on the occasion of his appointment. “The ‘John Wick’ films have set an immensely high standard for action filmmaking, and I greatly appreciate Lionsgate giving me the opportunity to further elevate the franchise,” he said. “I am both thrilled and deeply inspired to make this happen.”
Donnie Yen Getting To Spearhead Caine Is Great For John Wick Fans
The Caine project is certainly a massive win for fans of the franchise, and Yen’s being allowed to lead the project on and off-screen looks like a win for everyone involved. Yen previously opened up about his filmmaking philosophy and desire to direct the project, emphasizing a pragmatic approach and a well-managed budget as hallmarks of that philosophy, with plans for the spinoff already sketched out. This makes him the best choice for the job, and he’s being joined by other exciting creatives. The script will be one from the prolific Mattson Tomlin, who has recently shown his stuff as co-writer on Matt Reeves’ The Batman and The Batman Part II, and has also been tapped to work with Keanu Reeves on the upcoming BRZRKR adaptation. The film also added stellar producers in series director Chad Stahelski as well as Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee via Thunder Road.
While this is all great news, Yen will have to apply his considerable filmmaking experience and talents to make the upcoming spin-off work. The John Wick franchise already had a spinoff that didn’t quite work with The Continental, and that’s not great news for either Ballerina or the upcoming Yen-led project. While there’s a case to be made that the former being a streaming show saddled it with unique disadvantages, there’s certainly still lessons that Yen could take from that project and Ballerina to ensure that Caine’s next adventure properly realizes his vision for the character and the franchise.
The first three John Wick films are currently available to stream on Hulu, while Chapter 4 is available to stream on Starz.
Caine John Wick Spinoff
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Donnie Yen
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Mattson Tomlin
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Source: TheWrap