Warning: Major spoilers for The Continental episode 1 “Brothers in Arms – Night 1” below!
While John Wick 5 may or may not happen, his replacement in prequel series The Continental proves the franchise can continue if Keanu Reeves exits. Just like the Mission: Impossible movies have become almost inextricably tied to the persona of Tom Cruise, it’s hard to picture the John Wick movies without Keanu Reeves. The original film is credited with rescuing the star from a career lull and was largely dependent on his cool persona and ability to perform the movie’s intensive action sequences. Following the supposed death of John Wick in Chapter 4, it will be interesting to see how the franchise evolves without its original lead character.
Viewers don’t have to bid goodbye to Wick entirely just yet, as Reeves will make a guest appearance in the upcoming spinoff Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. The true test of how the franchise will fare without Mr. Wick comes with prequel The Continental, which details how young Winston (Colin Woodell) became the manager of the titular hotel for killers during the late ’70s. The series has the style and sleek action of the movies, but Wick himself is nowhere in sight. That said, episode 1 does have another character fulfill a similar role.
The Continental (Briefly) Finds Its Keanu Reeves Replacement With Winston’s Brother Frankie
For those who worried that The Continental would lack the blistering action of its big-screen counterpart, those concerns can be laid to rest. Episode 1 opens with a heist that descends into a bloody shootout, which features plenty of the franchise’s trademark “Gun Fu” choreography. With his long hair, scruffy beard, and fondness for shooting people in the head, Ben Robson’s Frankie fills some of the void left by John Wick’s absence. While he may lack that distinctive Reeves’ line delivery, he’s still convincing as a wrecking machine who could take down a wave of killers all by himself.
Like Wick, Frankie is also getting out of the business to be with his wife Yen (Nhung Kate), and he also has a military background and plenty of tattoos. It was a wise move for the miniseries to create a Wick substitute for audiences, as it was always clear that Winston is more of a lover than a fighter. Frankie is a good deal more talkative and haunted than Wick too, which helps make him feel distinct from Reeves’ character.
While he’s positioned as a John Wick replacement, the show pulls a bold move by killing Frankie by the end of episode 1. When he, Yen and Winston are being fired upon by a sniper, Frankie decides to sacrifice himself to buy them time to escape. He’s soon taken down by a headshot, which will undoubtedly set Winston on a path of revenge to take down the Continental’s brutal manager Cormac (Mel Gibson).
The Continental’s Frankie Proves John Wick 5 Can Still Successfully Replace Keanu Reeves
The showrunners clearly styled Frankie after John Wick, both in look and his function in the story. The fact this was something of a misdirection and he dies so early is a good rug-pull moment and will make Winston’s attempt to take down Cormac all the harder. Still, Frankie showed that it was possible to create a compelling new hero within the world of the franchise and that if Reeves decides against a potential John Wick: Chapter 5, that doesn’t have to spell the end of the series.
John Wick: Chapter 4 provided a surprisingly moving finale for the character, who dies for something he believes in. The ending creates enough ambiguity regarding Wick’s fate that a fifth film could bring him back, but after putting himself through four physically grueling movies, Reeves might want to leave Wick in peace. If that is the case, the series could continue in the form of Ballerina (assuming the spinoff is a hit), Donnie Yen’s Caine could get his own offshoot or a new protagonist could fill the space left by Wick’s departure.
Frankie’s Death Makes Winston & John Wick’s Relationship Even More Tragic
The relationship between old Winston (Ian McShane) and Wick was always a little ambiguous. Winston was something of a paternal figure for John, and even when Wick’s desire for revenge led to a killing on the grounds of the Continental, Winston always seemed to be in his corner. That made Winston’s betrayal and attempt to kill Wick at the end of Chapter 3 all the more shocking. That said, Frankie and Winston’s relationship frames his connection to Wick in a different way.
While Winston was estranged from Frankie, there was clearly a lot of love between them. Winston also learns shortly before his older brother’s death that the reason Frankie pushed him away was so he wouldn’t follow in his footsteps. Winston must have seen something of his brother’s sense of honor in Wick, and rooted for him to escape his old life no matter how badly he kept making a mess. The Continental frames both Winston and his bond to Wick in an intriguing new light – and one that could potentially carry on into John Wick 5.
