The third chapter in John Wick‘s globetrotting adventure, aptly titled Parabellum, is almost upon us.
And yet, while many suspect the end is nigh for Keanu Reeves’ sharpshooter, Chapter 3 may prove to be the end of the beginning, rather than the beginning of the end. Or so says Ian McShane, star of American Gods and the recently-released (and critically panned) Hellboy reboot, who told Collider that the John Wick franchise has enough mileage to continue for another 10 years – if not more.
The secret? To expand the series in such a way that future films draw attention away from John Wick – the myth… the legend – and onto those other characters scattered throughout the criminal underworld.
Probably in 10 years, John Wick would still be going. You never know, Keanu might be running the [Continental] hotel and everything by then. John Wick, the world of John Wick is being explored in the next one. That will be more about the High Table, you find out more about him, his background, whatever. Preparing for who knows what the hell will happen next time. It gets bigger. I think you’ll enjoy that too.
That’s… ambitious. Though the John Wick franchise has ballooned in size over the past number of years, it remains to be seen whether audience members will flock to a future installment that doesn’t feature Keanu Reeves as the central star. He’s the beating heart of these movies, for crying out loud, so it’s difficult to imagine the Powers That Be rushing to end Wick’s reign anytime soon. The question, really, is whether moviegoers will be still interested in John Wick beyond 2019. We shall see.
Sandwiched between Detective Pikachu and Disney’s Aladdin reboot, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum makes a beeline for theaters on May 16th.