John Wick's Next Movie Officially Starts A New Era That'll Make Or Break The Keanu Reeves Franchise
Few actors are a perfect match for their roles quite like Keanu Reeves as John Wick. He looks the part, and handles his weapons with such stylish flair that audiences would believe he's an elite operative. Reeves has cemented himself as a modern Hollywood action hero as John Wick, with each movie leaving audiences hungry for more.
In fact, each John Wick movie has made substantially more than the last at the box office. John Wick: Chapter 4 took a whopping $447 million worldwide, which is incredibly impressive for an R-rated movie almost three hours long. It's clear that general audiences love John Wick, but his inclusion doesn't guarantee a movie will perform well. Ballerina is based in the John Wick universe, starring Ana de Armas as Eve. The 2025 movie made $140 million, and while it wasn't a flop, it made less than most of the mainline titles.
Caine (Donnie Yen) was arguably the best addition to the John Wick universe in Chapter 4. He's an enigmatic blind assassin and linked to the High Table. Yen is reportedly directing a new movie in the John Wick universe focusing on the assassin. The news will delight fans of the genre, but the question remains whether the movie will be a hit, or if the hook will always be the Baba Yaga himself.
Caine Will Be The First John Wick Movie Without Keanu Reeves
Details about the upcoming Caine movie are limited at the time of writing, though we do know that Keanu Reeves is unlikely to reprise his role as John Wick. If he doesn't make a cameo appearance or feature in the story, Caine will be the first movie in the John Wick universe where the Baba Yaga is entirely absent.
Ana de Armas's Eve was undoubtedly the star of Ballerina, though Reeves did play a small but impactful role in the story. The pair also treated audiences to arguably the best action scene in the movie. One of the most intriguing parts about Caine as a character is how he lost his sight. It's a detail left vague in John Wick: Chapter 4, and no doubt something a standalone movie could explore.
The Caine movie doesn't necessarily need to take place after the events of the mainline movies either. We also know he's a skilled fighter with a history with the High Table that wouldn't require an appearance by John Wick to add context to his origins.
Caine Could Make Or Break The John Wick Franchise
It's clear that studio heads are eager to expand the John Wick universe beyond the scope of the mainline movies. Lionsgate has already confirmed a John Wick 5 is happening, though Caine's performance could potentially make or break the franchise. We mentioned previously that Ballerina did not perform as well as the mainline John Wick movies. If history repeats itself with Caine, it could have franchise-wide implications.
It's far too early to gauge the hype surrounding Caine, but a movie about the character may resonate with audiences in a way that Ballerina could not. Donnie Yen's portrayal of Caine was a highlight of the latest John Wick movie, and there's clearly plenty of room to expand on his character.
Yen is also a proven action star, with a filmography spanning decades. He's had smaller roles in action classics like Blade II and comfortably assumed the lead role in the Ip Man movies. The latter are more popular among martial arts fans, but Yen has star power and fighting prowess that translate brilliantly onto the silver screen. Audiences showed up in droves to watch the latest John Wick title, so many already know who Caine is. Time will tell if that's enough to make the upcoming movie a success.