The JOHN WICK Universe Is Getting a Samurai Western Film
It looks like the John Wick universe is about to head into completely new and awesome territory with an upcoming Samurai Western spinoff!
In a recent interview with Variety as part of their “10 Screenwriters to Watch in 2025” series, Austin Everett, whose adaptation of Traveler by Joseph Eckert is being produced by Paramount, revealed the surprise Samurai Western project.
After revealing the project was a Samurai Western, Everett said, “That’s probably as much as I can say,” but that was enough to get me excited! As a fan of Westerns and Samurai films, this could be an incredible film!
We have no idea how this new project will fit into the John Wick timeline, but the thought of fusing gun-slinging Western grit with the code-driven honor of samurai storytelling already sounds like a cinematic match made in heaven.
The John Wick franchise has been steadily expanding beyond its main storyline. After Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, didn’t quite deliver the box office results the studio hoped for, more spin-offs are still on the way, including an untitled animated prequel and a film centered on Caine, introduced in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Still, no one can deny that the main attraction has always been Keanu Reeves as the legendary assassin himself, and fans have been interested in seeing how his story will continue in John Wick: Chapter 5.
Of course, it’s safe to assume Reeves won’t be reprising his role in this new story. But the idea of a ronin-style Western, mixing the stylized violence and deep world-building of John Wick with the meditative, honor-bound energy of a samurai tale seems like an awesome and exciting evolution for the franchise.
Westerns and samurai films have always shared DNA in their storytelling, so this could be the perfect fusion of two timeless genres.
We might not know what the John Wick Samurai Western will look like yet, but one thing’s for sure, it’s a great idea to keep this world alive and evolving in an interesting and cool way.
Would you be down for a samurai Western set in the John Wick universe?