In an entertainment industry dominated by fantastical blockbusters which often have blatant disregard for physics or reality, you could argue that the “John Wick” franchise might be one of the most cartoonishly fantastical. From the comical way in which every person in New York City seems to be a professional assassin, to the existence of magical bulletproof suits that completely stop the momentum of any projectile, to the many incredible stunts that feel taken out of a Looney Tunes cartoon, the “John Wick” franchise is very close to feeling like a live-action anime. It helps that the ending of “John Wick: Chapter 4” was actually inspired by a classic anime, but now, the franchise is quite literally becoming an anime.
It was reported late last year that “John Wick” would expand its cinematic universe with a new TV show, as well as an anime project. Though at the time we were unsure whether this meant an anime film or TV show, The Hollywood Reporter now says that “John Wick” is getting an anime feature film. Not only that, but the anime feature will answer a question fans of the franchise have had for ten years: It’s set to show “at least some” of John Wick’s legendary “impossible task,” which he was assigned to by the boss of the Tarasov mob in order to attain the freedom to retire and settle down with his wife Helen.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, “John Wick” co-creator Chad Stahelski talked about the excitement of exploring the franchise in different mediums, and teased that the team can “be a little bit more crazy and nutty in the anime.”
Stahelski has already dipped his toes into the world of anime. First, he choreographed the action for the anime “Ninja Kamui,” and he also worked as the action sequences designer in the new Shinichirō Watanabe anime “Lazarus.” Of course, the prospect of seeing John Wick achieve an “impossible task” in animation, and the carnage and mayhem the franchise is known for, done in anime, is a rather spectacular notion — if done right.
Do we need a John Wick prequel?
“John Wick” is very peculiar when it comes to franchises. After all, the first film almost went straight to video, but instead it got a theatrical release, became a surprise hit, and benefited from the first film planting seeds of a much larger world from the beginning of this revenge tale, introducing cool concepts without the need to explaining them, and expanding things organically with each installment. It’s a lesson in building a cinematic universe the rest of Hollywood could learn from.
Unfortunately, when it came time to go beyond the main “John Wick” movies, we got “The Continental,” a show that was a colossal failure, as you can see from /Film’s scathing review. After seeing how terrible that turned out, does this universe really need to expand beyond the core movies? Do we need to actually see what John Wick’s impossible task was, and can anything really live up to that legend?
Time will tell, but as Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter, the franchise is not slowing down. In addition to maybe seeing Keanu Reeves return for “John Wick 5,” Stahelski talked about Robert Levine developing an “Under the High Table” TV show, and confirmed that the spin-off centering on Donnie Yen’s Caine from “Chapter 4” is actively being written. And naturally, next summer will see the release of “Ballerina,” the first live-action spin-off film set in the continuity of the main films. No matter the format or medium, the “John Wick” universe is not stopping any time soon.
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