Summary
- The John Wick universe wants to thrive on spinoffs to continue the franchise's success.
- Ballerina has proven successful, but still had Keanu Reeves as John Wick to help at the box office.
- Halle Berry's Sofia has the star power to lead a spinoff without Reeves, but hasn't been given the opportunity yet.
Ballerina was a lot of fun, embracing the action John Wick fans have come to love, and the franchise looks set to continue with the Caine spinoff. However, despite the series' success, none of its proposed spinoffs include the one character from the John Wick universe audiences want to see in their own movie.
After only a few weeks in theaters, Ballerina has already earned north of $91 million at the worldwide box office. Given that the spinoff's budget was reportedly $90 million, and it still has several weeks before leaving cinemas, it is likely being eyed as a financial success. However, Ballerina still features Keanu Reeves as John Wick in a reasonably sized role, which doesn't allow the spinoff to stand on its own. As the universe grows, J ohn Wick has yet to announce a follow-up featuring the one character who could carry a movie franchise spinoff without Reeves.
The One Thing Ballerina & The Continental Prove About The John Wick Spinoffs
Ballerina and The Continental are distinctly different projects, but they help prove one crucial thing about the John Wick spinoffs.
The John Wick Universe Is Dead Set On Thriving With Spinoffs
Like any successful franchise, the studios backing them want to stretch it for every penny they can get out of it. John Wick: Chapter 4 sought to bring the story to a reasonable end, allowing things to conclude with the character at peace. However, with the returns on the action series continuing to be impressive at the box office, there are even rumblings of a fifth John Wick film, with the character being brought back to appease the almighty dollar. Even if John Wick 5 never materializes, the franchise is embracing the idea of spinoffs and prequels.
The Continental was the first prequel to the franchise. It was a three-episode miniseries that told the story of Winston's rise to power at the New York Continental Hotel in the 1970s. Ballerina is the most recent spinoff. It takes place during the events of the John Wick films, following new character Eve Macarro as she seeks to avenge her father's death at the hands of a deadly cult of assassins.
The John Wick universe is also developing a spinoff centered on Donnie Yen's Caine, who was first introduced in John Wick: Chapter 4. The international martial arts star is also said to be directing the movie, which could feature Akira, the daughter of the Continental Osaka Hotel manager whom Caine killed in Chapter 4. While other plans have been rumored, no other spinoffs currently look to be in development despite fans of the franchise already knowing the perfect character to help carry things forward.
John Wick: Chapter 3 Gave Audiences The Perfect Spinoff Character With Halle Berry's Sofia
Sofia Al-Azwar is the manager of the Casablanca Continental Hotel, first introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. The character is pulled into John Wick's story when he cashes in a marker she gave him years earlier, asking for her assistance in his quest to get to The High Table. Utilizing her skills in martial arts, which prove to be on par with Wick's, Sofia also employs well-trained combat dogs, offering the third installment some of its best action moments when they are set loose on her enemies. Halle Berry brought Sofia to life, even showing off the training she endured with Keanu Reeves before filming.
After Sofia helped John, she retreated to her role at the Continental, never appearing in another John Wick universe project. While the franchise took time to focus on characters like Winston in The Continental, as the character even has the same job, merely in another part of the world, Sofia has yet to be featured in her own story. Even with John Wick: Chapter 4 being an epic, globe-trotting action film, Halle Berry's star presence was not brought back for the sequel.
Halle Berry Has The Star Power To Carry Spinoff Films Without Keanu Reeves' John Wick
Ballerina captured the action of John Wick better than The Continental could via a TV series. However, Ballerina also relied heavily on the fact that it featured Reeves returning to the role of John Wick. Ballerina featured Lance Reddick in one of his final roles, Anejlica Huston, and Ian McShane, returning to their franchise roles. While this helped tie it into the John Wick universe, Reeves' part is larger than it likely should have been, with the Ana de Armas-led spinoff almost utilizing it like a crutch despite the movie being capable of thriving without it. While the result was still good, Ballerina felt it couldn't survive if it didn't feature Reeves as Wick.
All respect to de Armas and Ballerina, who is a fantastic actor, but Halle Berry carries the star power to continue her character in a standalone project without having Reeves to bolster views. Berry's genuine star power could easily see a Sofia spinoff succeed, allowing John Wick: Chapter 4 to remain the character's end, with other stars carrying the franchise forward.
Sofia is also said to have a daughter, with some fans speculating that her child could be one of the Ruska Roma Ballerinas. If this were true, Berry's Sofia could play into a Ballerina sequel with a natural story element already in place. Franchise director Chad Stahelski also mentioned ideas involving Sofia and Shamier Anderson's character, introduced in Chapter 4, who showed a similar proficiency with dogs and weapons. While Ballerina looks to be doing fine at the box office, which may spur Donnie Yen's Caine movie into production, the John Wick universe set up a fantastic character in Halle Berry's Sofia, and she has yet to be given her proper due.
- Created by
- Derek Kolstad
- Cast
- Keanu Reeves
- TV Show(s)
- The Continental
- Movie(s)
- John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4