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).