The Big Picture

John Wick: Chapter 4 marks the end of Keanu Reeves’ journey as the iconic action hero, with the character meeting his fate in a final confrontation with the High Table. Despite rumors of a fifth film, there are no current plans for a John Wick 5. However, the franchise will continue expanding with projects like the limited series The Continental and the spinoff film Ballerina. The movie underwent extensive editing and trimming to condense the story into one film, proving that the filmmakers were able to achieve their vision without the need for additional sequels.

John Wick: Chapter 4 brought the adventures of the lonely action hero played by Keanu Reeves to an end, as the character died while trying to fight the organization that wanted to destroy him. As he proved in the other movies directed by Chad Stahelski, he wasn’t going down without a fight, with the plot sending him to confront what felt like an infinite number of enemies. During an interview with Collider’s Nate Richard, Stahelski talked about how the blockbuster that was released earlier this year will be the end of Reeves’ journey as Wick for now, while not denying that the character could return to the big screen in the future:

It was just never the way Keanu and I saw it, so we just worked and worked and worked and cut down a bunch of sequences, and took some stuff out, and ended up with a movie that you now see in one film. But the idea was always that, yes, John Wick ends his journey like he does at the end of the movie, and that was gonna be the end of that for now.

The director was originally asked his thoughts about the rumor stating that a fifth John Wick film would be produced right after the fourth one, with Stahelski surprised at the fact the internet would think so: “Sometimes, I wake up to things in the industry magazines that are pretty funny. I woke up to that one saying I’m doing a [John Wick] 4 and 5. I think because, at the time in development, we had such a big idea that it was assumed that we’d try to break it. That was early in development, and then we started trimming and started moving things around, changing the story, and Keanu and I figured like, “Oh no…” You know, people didn’t think we could do everything we wanted to in one film, so I think they kept that idea alive, and even into post.”

The result was one final confrontation between John Wick and the High Table, as the secret empire wanted to get rid of him once and for all. Looking at how Wick was able to overcome anyone they sent towards him, the High Table decided to hire Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) to make sure the protagonist of the franchise could meet his fate. While preparing to fight the Marquis, Wick also had to deal with Caine (Donnie Yen) trying to take him down, and even Winston’s (Ian McShane) support didn’t seem to help a lot when all was said and done.

Will There Be a ‘John Wick 5’?
Image via Lionsgate Films

While the idea of Reeves coming back as John Wick for one more adventure sounds exciting, there isn’t a fifth movie in development. However, that doesn’t mean the franchise is over, with plenty of projects trying to continue this universe’s expansion. The Continental, a limited series about the hotel seen in the movies facing explosive action years before John Wick walked through its doors, is now streaming on Peacock. On the other hand, Ballerina, a spinoff starring Ana De Armas, is currently scheduled to release in theaters on June 7, 2024.

Watch John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4 Release Date March 24, 2023 Director Chad Stahelski Cast Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Lance Reddick Rating R Runtime 169 minutes Main Genre Action Genres Action, Crime Writers Derek Kolstad