10 Keanu Reeves Movies That Deserved Sequels & Franchises, Ranked

Published Nov 14, 2026, 5:56 PM EST Katrina joined ScreenRant as a news writer in 2024, covering box office, expert interviews, exclusives, and new releases. Her work has appeared in CBR, All About Jazz, Rising Artists, and numerous other publications. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and has published more than 20 books. She currently writes for ScreenRant’s movie features team. From Sonic the Hedgehog to John Wick, Keanu Reeves is no stranger to starring in or leading a major Hollywood franchise. From Neo in The Matrix to John Wick, the actor played the leading man in two of the most iconic franchises in the sci-fi/action genre. While The Matrix and John Wick successfully led to the development of subsequent sequels, Reeves has starred in many cult classics that still deserve a follow-up featuring him. The actor has been so central to those movies' success that a sequel without his involvement wouldn't work. 10 Chain Reaction Despite featuring Rachel Weisz, Morgan Freeman, and Reeves, Chain Reaction didn't reach its full potential as a film. It also failed to achieve cult classic status over time. A modest box office and mixed-to-negative critical reception further prevented the movie from receiving a follow-up in the 1990s. One thing that makes a modern legacy sequel particularly appealing is its high-stakes premise that explores revolutionary technology and the conspiracy behind it. Both concepts are more relevant than ever. Chain Reaction ends with Reeves' protagonist leaking the formula to the world. A sequel could easily pick up where it leaves off and explore the fallout on a global scale. While whether Chain Reaction deserves a follow-up is still debatable among viewers, a direct sequel probably wouldn't work without Reeves' involvement, with his character being at the heart of what made the original movie work in the first place. 9 The Replacements Image via Warner Bros. The Replacements has an irreplaceable place in many sports comedy fans' hearts. Some have long voiced their desire for a legacy sequel on social media sites. While the movie has a neatly self-contained ending, Reeves could potentially come back as a coach to recruit a new generation of players. Many also argue that since the 2000 movie was inspired by the 1987 NFL players' strike, a follow-up could draw from a more recent sports labor dispute. On the other hand, Reeves and the late Gene Hackman's on-screen chemistry is a big part of what makes this movie so memorable in the first place. A revival runs a high risk of forced nostalgia. 8 Johnny Mnemonic Based on William Gibson's short story Johnny Mnemonic, the movie adaptation stars The Matrix star as the titular mnemonic courier in the "Sprawl" universe, a world which the novelist later expanded on in his acclaimed novel Neuromancer. Due to its poor reception, some argue that the cyberpunk movie might be better to simply leave the box office flop alone, since it has already served its purpose by paving the way for The Matrix. While Johnny Mnemonic is an arguably messy movie adaptation that hardly does the source material justice, many believe this exact setting poses an opportunity for a sequel, since there's so much more to explore. Gibson's world-building and the connection between the short story and Neuromancer offer franchise-worthy material. After The Matrix and John Wick, Johnny Mnemonic has the potential to be another Keanu Reeves-led franchise. 7 Street Kings The 2008 David Ayer-directed action thriller was a modest box office success when it came out. Reeves starred alongside a notable ensemble cast, including Chris Evans, Forest Whitaker, and Hugh Laurie. Critics didn't initially like the movie, but over the years, it has developed a strong cult following for its gritty, hard-boiled L.A. cop-corruption style. In 2011, the studios released a direct-to-DVD follow-up titled Street Kings 2: Motor City to cash in on the original's success, but except for Clifton Powell, who returned playing a different character, none of the original cast was involved in the movie. The standalone sequel also took place in Detroit, rather than Los Angeles, and was widely panned by critics and fans. Street Kings deserves a real sequel from the original ensemble cast, especially with the ending leaving open-ended questions about what happens to the LAPD's anti-gang units and Reeves' Tom Ludlow. 6 Point Break Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 action thriller Point Break still holds up today. The '90s cult classic movie stars Reeves as a rookie FBI agent, Johnny Utah, who bonded with Patrick Swayze's philosophical leader of the "Ex-President" bank-robbing gang, Bodhi, while working undercover. Blending Southern California's surfing culture with action sequences and a buddy-rivalry dynamic between Bodhi and Johnny, Point Break redefined the macho 1980s action genre. Even though the movie was designed as a standalone that ends with Bodhi's demise, FBI agent Utah's story has only just begun. A sequel could easily follow Reeves' protagonist as he hunts down other criminals, and it seems that studios also agree on Point Break's franchise potential. More than 30 years later, AMC has officially greenlit a sequel television series, but a sequel without The Matrix star's agent Utah sounds much less appealing. 5 Speed The 1994 action thriller Speed was both a commercial and critical success. The Jan de Bont movie starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock made more than $350 million worldwide against a $30 million budget and boosted both actors into A-list stardom. Just one week after the movie hit the theater, 20th Century Fox announced the sequel, but The Matrix star didn't return in Speed 2: Cruise Control. Reeves later explained that he turned down the Speed sequel because he didn't fall in love with the script. He wasn't sure about the movie being set on an ocean liner. Choose the movie with the higher Rotten Tomatoes score. History would later prove that Reeves was right about Speed 2. The follow-up was widely remembered as an unnecessary sequel that disappointed critics and fans alike. Speed certainly deserved a better sequel than the one it received, but only with the right concept, a worthwhile script, Reeves, and Bullock. 4 A Scanner Darkly Adapted from Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel of the same name, Richard Linklater's 2006 rotoscope-animated film A Scanner Darkly explores addiction, the loss of identity and the war on drugs that remain relevant in today's world. While both the book and the film were designed as self-contained standalone, the ending leaves several narrative threads unresolved. Reeves' undercover narcotic agent, Bob Arctor, had severe brain damage from being addicted to Substance D, but at the end of the movie, he managed to smuggle a small blue flower to the authorities and sparked hope for recovery. A direct sequel could also scale the story upward and explore government agencies' involvement in the war on drugs, which would make a very compelling high-stakes thriller. 3 The Lake House The Lake House reunites Reeves and Bullock in a time-bending love story. The concept of falling in love with a man who lives in the same house, but two years apart, already invites another visit. On top of that, the movie sees Bullock's character, Kate, change the fate of Reeves' Henry, who was supposed to die in an accident on his way to see her. While the movie ends with Henry avoiding his tragic fate and reuniting with Kate two years later, it invites further exploration around how it affects the timeline and the world on a bigger scale. A sequel to The Lake House has a lot of storytelling potential, though it would require both stars' return to make it work fully. 2 The Devil's Advocate Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino teamed up in the '90s supernatural cult classic The Devil's Advocate. In the movie, Reeves plays a young lawyer who joins a law firm run by Satan himself. Over the years, there have been plenty of concepts and fan-made trailers for a sequel. Not only did The Devil's Advocate leave the ending wide open with the cycle of temptation being reset rather than broken, but the movie itself is the only instance where the two iconic actors star alongside each other. Seeing Reeves and Pacino going against each other again is certainly one of the main reasons fans want a legacy sequel, but the rich and fascinating world is what has drawn novelist Andrew Neiderman and the likes to attempt at spin-off projects over the years. 1 Constantine Constantine has immersive world-building that makes the movie so much more than a fantasy movie about angels and demons. Like what makes the John Wick franchise so appealing, the movie features mesmerizing characters played by a star-studded cast. From Rachel Weisz's psychic twin sisters to Tilda Swinton's angel Gabriel, Constantine gives fans many reasons to invest in a follow-up. Constantine's ending leaves many threads unresolved. Angela and John's could-they-would-they romance is still in the air by the time the movie wraps. John is rid of lung cancer and set on a path of redemption, while Lucifer is determined to damn his soul again. The stage for the second chapter is fully set at the end of the movie. In fact, Francis Lawrence has always wanted to make a sequel, and so has Keanu Reeves. In a recent interview with Collider, the director shared "renewed hope" for Constantine 2 and explained that they've been trying to make the movie "for 20-something years," but "there’s always been obstacles in the road." Despite the long wait and the challenges, Lawrence revealed that they still "want to do it."