Will there be a ‘John Wick 5’?
John Wick manages to achieve new bombastic heights in its third sequel.
Directed once again by Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 4 is the longest and arguably most ambitious entry in the franchise yet – with bigger action sequences and an expanded cast including singer Rina Sawayama.
A synopsis reads: “John Wick uncovers a path to defeating the High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.”
Is John Wick 5 officially in the works?
Not officially. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lionsgate planned to shoot John Wick: Chapter 4 and 5 back to back, but this idea was scrapped due to production delays.
While this would suggest a fifth entry is still on the cards, Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter in March that they are planning to give the franchise “a rest”.
“In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment,” Stahelski said. “We’re going to give John Wick a rest. I’m sure the studio has a plan. If everyone loves it and it goes kooky, then we’ll take a quiet minute. Wicks always, for some weird reason, always get the latest release date in Japan. It’s always like, three months later.
“If it’s the same this time, we’ll do a Japanese tour and release the movie in September. Keanu and I will take the long trip to Tokyo, we’ll sit in the Imperial Hotel Scotch Bar and go, ‘What do you think?’ We’ll have a couple 20-year-old whiskies and write some ideas on napkins. If those ideas stick, maybe we’ll make a movie.”
What has Keanu Reeves said about a potential John Wick 5?
Reeves has said any potential sequel will depend on the success of John Wick: Chapter 4.
Speaking to TotalFilm in January, the actor said: “You have to see how the audience responds to what we did. The only reason we’ve had a chance to make these movies is that people have liked what we have done. So I think we have to wait and see how the audience responds to it. Hopefully they’ll like it.”
Are there any spin-offs in development?
Absolutely. Ballerina is in production and follows ballerina-assassin Rooney played by Ana de Armas (previously portrayed by Unity Phelan in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum). Ian McShane, Reeves, Anjelica Huston and the late Lance Reddick all reprise their roles for the spin-off. Filming began in November last year in Prague.
The other spin-off in development is TV series The Continental, set to air later this year on Peacock. The prequel series stars Mel Gibson and Colin Woodell, and tells the story of how Winston Scott (Woodell) came to his position as proprietor of the Continental hotel in the 1970s.
In a four-star review, NME wrote: “John Wick: Chapter 4 is a lot. It runs nearly three hours, introduces multiple new characters, further indulges the series’ trademark elaborate mythology, and at one point adds a brief desert-set horseback chase in an apparent homage to Lawrence of Arabia.
“Yet this latest sequel to the relatively straightforward 2014 revenge action movie also seems hell-bent on proving a theory about self-indulgent blockbuster bloat: it’s not really a problem if the audience is having a good time.”
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Adam Starkey
NME
