The John Wick universe seems like it could be a font of fascinating projects outside its mainline entries. It has not lived up to that potential so far, but one can never claim it didn’t try. Wick still has half a dozen bullets in the magazine without counting the potential of a fifth film. Some of those ideas sound a bit rough, tossing Wick into one of several potential crossovers with films that took inspiration from his gimmick, but there are still a couple of fascinating pitches. One notable long-shot option involves Laurence Fishburne’s character, the Bowery King, and that idea deserves some attention.
The grand goal of every media property these days is a gargantuan, sprawling empire in the style of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Star Wars galaxy. John Wick doesn’t really map onto that concept very well. It is, or at least it was, an old-fashioned movie series that gained its prominence through traditional popularity. Lionsgate has no intention of pulling back from one of its most profitable names, but it’s still taking shots in the dark at what might make it a bit more consistent. Hopefully, it will continue to try new and interesting things with the franchise.
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How Many John Wick Spinoffs Were Planned?
The thing about spinoffs and sequels in the modern era is that it’s often hard to tell what’s a relatively personable answer to an interviewer on a red carpet and what’s a script sitting on a desk waiting for the green light. Taking every potential next step as a confirmation is a guarantee of disappointment, but there are always whispers of new films. Here’s a short list of John Wick spinoff projects and where they are in their production cycle:
- Ballerina: Starring Ana de Armas as a dancer-turned-vengeful assassin, the first big-screen John Wick spinoff will hit theaters in June. They’re already talking about a potential sequel.
- Caine: Donnie Yen’s blind assassin from the fourth film has an untitled solo project in production. It would likely follow the fourth film and explore Rina Sawayama’s Akira and her place in the never-ending cycle of violence. Chad Stahelski claimed that this project is in the works, with shooting beginning in Hong Kong sometime this year.
- The Anime Prequel: An animated prequel in the Japanese style will allegedly focus on the impossible task John Wick completed to leave his former life behind. Stahelski also placed this in the timeline sometime soon.
- Crossovers with Atomic Blonde and Nobody: David Leitch has spoken about potentially allowing Wick to interact with Charlize Theron’s character from Atomic Blonde or Bob Odenkirk’s character from Nobody, but these are unlikely to come to fruition.
- Sofia: Halle Berry’s character, a fellow assassin with a pair of mighty attack dogs, also has a potential place in the universe. Stahelski mentioned the potential of Sofia returning alongside Shamier Anderson’s character in a new project.
- Under the High Table: A TV series with a very vague premise in which a group of new characters try to fight the titular governing body of the underworld. This one’s quite up in the air, granting the opportunity for just about any character to pop up.
- The Bowery King: Last but not least, Laurence Fishburne’s powerful leader over a network of homeless assassins has a potential prequel in the works. It’s gone quiet, but this could be the best pitch the world of John Wick has to offer right now.
The Bowery King Movie Has a Great Premise
What do fans really know about the Bowery King? Very little, especially given that the list doesn’t include his name. He was once a random guard, like so many other minor criminal operatives beneath the endless reach of the High Table. Like so many of his peers, he ran afoul of John Wick. One of Wick’s most compelling techniques involved wounding a victim who didn’t have to die, granting them the choice to either keep pressure on their wound or attempt to stop Wick. The Bowery King made the right choice, allowing him to continue his career. At some point, he took ownership of The Soup Kitchen, a seemingly normal homeless shelter that actually arms, trains, and distributes spies and hired killers in the guise of unhoused people. The King relies on the citizens of New York City’s proclivity to ignore those in need of aid, granting him an untraceable information network that can keep perfect tabs on all the hustle and bustle. If the King is to be believed, his throne only exists so long as he occupies it. He’s an enemy of the High Table who works beneath the world. Exploring his corner of the secret criminal underworld through the lens of the man who seems to have built it from scratch would be a wholly new experience in the John Wick franchise.
Could The Bowery King Movie Still Come Out?
Very little has been said about this premise, but nothing has shut down the idea either. Series producer Erica Lee initially expressed interest in the project back in 2023, but Stahelski confirmed something involving the homeless network the following year. It hasn’t really been mentioned since November, but there’s no reason to suspect it couldn’t be in the works. Stahelski set the Caine project and the animated prequel as the next projects to come after Ballerina, but everything beyond that seems up in the air.
The Bowery King provides a compelling story and a new look at an endlessly fascinating setting. Lionsgate seems prepared to lean more and more heavily on the big names, prompting them to consistently reach into the past to pave the future. While The Continental didn’t really land, the Bowery King is a stronger presence that could develop into a far more interesting new landscape. If Lionsgate wants the World of John Wick to work, they need to keep finding new ways to look at it. The Bowery King gives them a chance to look from the bottom up.
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