The world of John Wick is expanding, with the hugely successful action franchise, led, of course, by a breathtaking Keanu Reeves, already having several spin-offs and a fifth outing in the works. But none of them compare to the latest idea, which would be a glorious genre mash-up that promises to please action, Western, and martial arts fans.
According to a report by Variety, newly emerging writer Austin Everett, whose sci-fi script The Traveler entered the Black List back in 2019 and has now been picked up for development, has penned a script for an original action epic set within the world of John Wick that would combine both samurai and Westerns.
While the writer is keeping details of the proposed project under wraps for now, saying, “that’s probably as much as I can say,” the idea of a Western-meets-samurai movie set within the Baba Yaga franchise is surely too tantalizing a prospect to reject. While Everett does not confirm whether conversations with the likes of John Wick creator Chad Stahelski or Lionsgate have taken place, it’s difficult not to be gleefully suspicious about the fact he is playing things so coy.
John Wick has already allowed certain Western and samurai tropes to bleed into its makeup, with the concept of the lone warrior battling against the odds falling into both genres. However, leaning even further into these ideas, perhaps in a prequel about the wide world of assassins and killers, is sure to have every action and Wick fan’s brain buzzing with ideas.
There Is Plenty to Come From the World of ‘John Wick’
After four critically acclaimed action hits which have changed the genre for the modern age, the John Wick franchise has now expanded into spin-offs, with this year’s Ballerina introducing No Time to Die star Ana de Armas a fledgling assassin also out for revenge. And this is just the beginning, with Donne Yen’s scene-stealing killer Caine all set to return for his own solo adventure, which will see the action and martial arts icon take the lead both in front of and behind the camera.
An anime prequel revealing the “impossible task” that Wick was given to leave his violent life behind is also in the works, as is a sequel TV series titled Under the High Table. Finally, for now, anyway, John Wick: Chapter 5 is also now in early development.
Everett’s The Traveler, meanwhile, will be based on the book of the same name by Joseph Eckert, which follows “a man who jumps forward in time.” Director Lee Isaac Chung, best known for the Academy Award-winning Minari, is now set to helm the science fiction outing. Everett will also reportedly make his directorial debut with Akiya, “about a Japanese American woman who buys an abandoned house in Japan to fix up, only to discover it’s haunted” which the writer/director describes as “if Studio Ghibli made ‘The Conjuring.’”
- Release Date
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October 24, 2014
- Runtime
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101 minutes
- Writers
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Derek Kolstad