Movies
‘John Wick’ is Getting the Cinematic Universe it Earned
Cinematic universes are all the rage in a reactive Hollywood ecosystem. There’s nothing wrong with that, actually, as it’s something that’s always worked and weirdly ignored for decades. Now that studios are finally learning the power of a franchise, instead of looking at them as diminishing returns, everyone is on the bandwagon. Joining the collecting of growing universes is one centered around the ultra-violent Keanu Reeves actioneer John Wick, Lionsgate’s surprise hit of 2014.
A sequel was quickly put into development and released this past February. The second chapter was not only superior to the first film but also earned the right to segue into a cinematic universe. The mythology went from intriguing to rich in character, and such depth that even the James Bond franchise looks small. The final shot of Chapter 2 quite literally sets up a multi-universe arc that made me cheer as the credits rolled.
Lionsgate has been mum about the future of the franchise, only just today revealing plans to turn John Wick into an expansive universe. THR reports that Lionsgate has won a bidding war to pick up a female-centric spec action script titled Ballerina that will serve as a platform for a possible John Wick spinoff.
The story is known to center on a young woman raised as an assassin who must hunt down the other assassins that murdered her family.
Ballerina, penned by Shay Hatten, has been described as being in the vein of La Femme Nikita, the 1990 female-centric assassin movie that helped launch the career of filmmaker Luc Besson, but with a more pulpy, hyper-stylized bent a la Quentin Tarantino or Matthew Vaughn.
The script hit the studios last week, with Warner Bros. and Universal also vying for it, according to sources. Lionsgate saw in it potential to further grow its Wick franchise (a third movie is now in the works).
Movies
‘Ebenezer’ Official Trailer – Ti West Turns Johnny Depp into ‘A Christmas Carol’ Icon Scrooge
Ti West (X, Pearl, MaXXXine) is back with the upcoming Ebenezer starring Johnny Depp, a fresh new take on the classic tale of A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens.
Johnny Depp will play Ebenezer Scrooge in Ti West’s Ebenezer, and Paramount is bringing the film to theaters on November 13, 2026. Watch the official trailer down below.
The tagline? “The name you know. The story you don’t.”
Andrea Riseborough (Possessor), Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings), Tramell Tillman (“Severance”), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter franchise), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars franchise), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games franchise), Charlie Murphy (“Peaky Blinders”), Arthur Conti (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), and Ellie Bamber (“Willow”) also star.
Deadline had detailed in a recent report, “This version, a thrilling ghost story set in Dickens’ London, follows one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present and future and fight for a second chance. Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman to executive produce.”
Nathaniel Halpern wrote the adaptation for Ti West to direct.
Written by Charles Dickens, the classic tale of A Christmas Carol has been adapted for the screen countless times over the years, with notable film adaptations including Scrooge (1951) starring Alastair Sim, Scrooge (1970) starring Albert Finney, A Christmas Carol (1984) starring George C. Scott, Scrooged (1988) starring Bill Murray, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) starring Michael Caine, and A Christmas Carol (2009) starring Jim Carrey.
A Christmas Carol is classically a period piece ghost story. As Luiz H.C. wrote here on Bloody Disgusting, “Isn’t it weird how the single most influential piece of Christmas-related media is technically a horror story? One can even make the argument that Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol paved the way for the rise of Victorian Spiritualism during the following decade.”
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