John Wick: Chapter 4 was the series’ best installment yet, but it raised some unexpected questions about what comes next for the franchise. We know Ballerina with Ana de Armas will come to theaters in 2025. Now we also know Donnie Yen will star in his own spinoff film about his blind assassin Caine. But what other projects will join those movie under the High Table? These are the five John Wick figures we’d most like to see headline their own film.
Warning: We will have to discuss Chapter 4 spoilers to explain why some of them made the list.
Sofia Al-Azwar (Halle Berry)
What would the world of John Wick be without a beloved star playing a fearsome, stylish killer with an affinity for dogs? Exactly! That’s why Halle Berry’s Sofia from Chapter 3 – Parabellum is as perfect a choice for a spinoff as any character in the franchise. She also has a personal backstory—Sofia had John Wick hide her a daughter to keep her safe and doesn’t know where her child is—that would give her film the kind of intimate element we’d want to see. Hopefully, though, Sofia would have to find and protect her daughter rather than avenge her.
Mr. Nobody/The Tracker (Shamier Anderson)
Speaking of dog lovers, Shamier Anderson’s Tracker more than proved he’s capable of picking up John Wick’s mantle. Not only was he able to track down Baba Yaga repeatedly in Chapter 4, he was able to go toe-to-toe with Keanu Reeves’ hitman. Anderson has the charisma, screen presence, and fighting skills needed to excel in an even bigger role. And it’s not like he didn’t make some enemies failing to finish the job the Marquis hired him to complete.
Shimazu Akira (Rina Sawayama)
If Rina Sawayama hadn’t said a single word in Chapter 4 she’d be deserving of a spinoff. Akira had one of the coolest fighting styles of any John Wick character. Since she was also excellent during her non-action scenes, she’s a no-brainer to possibly star in her own film. Even if Donnie Yen’s Caine spinoff proves she didn’t kill him during the movie’s post-credits scene, there are plenty of people left for her to go after. The previously retired Caine was simply serving the High Table when he killed Akira’s father. We know what this franchise can deliver with a main character bent on vengeance and the skills needed to get it.
Cassian (Common)
The John Wick franchise’s best characters all stand out in their own way. None of them are common. That is unless they are literally Common, who played Cassian in John Wick: Chapter 2. The aggrieved protector of Gianna D’Antonio wasn’t afraid of John Wick. He also had John’s full respect. Wick liked Cassian so much he let him live after their memorable train showdown. Common hasn’t returned to the franchise since that goodbye on the subway, but that would only add to our excitement for his own film. What’s life been like for him since then? How does he fit into this world now? And how did his near-death experience with John Wick change him?
Tick-Tock Man (Jason Mantzoukas)
Jason Mantzoukas’s Tick-Tock Man, loyal servant of the Bowery King, is the only character to make this list that hasn’t shown off his fighting skills in a John Wick film. You can understand why that was a prerequisite for inclusion. This is an action movie franchise after all. But if you’re familiar with Mantzoukas’s career you can also understand why we made an exception for him. He’s one of the most interesting actors working today, and his Tick-Tock Man would provide a different perspective on this world than almost every other spinoff candidate.
Of course, we’d also be happy to see any of these characters team up or appear in each others’ films. John Wick might be dead (or, you know, definitely alive!), but the world he left behind is full of people we want to see more of.
Originally published on March 27, 2023.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who would not try to collect a bounty on John Wick even for 17 trillion dollars. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.