The John Wick franchise is in a peculiar state at the moment, at least as far as the title protagonist is concerned. On the one hand, John Wick: Chapter 4’s ending seemed to definitively end the story focused on Keanu Reeves’ character, but on the other hand, there’s still talk about John Wick: Chapter 5 potentially being made someday. Producer Basil Iwanyk addressed both those topics in a recent interview, calling Chapter 4’s ending “elegant,” but also addressed the possibility of Chapter 5 being made.
Iwanyk has been involved with the John Wick movies ever since the first installment from 2014, so naturally he’s among the most qualified people to talk about the film series’ present and future. In an interview with ScreenRant, the producer reaffirmed how Keanu Reeves had been pushing for John Wick to die for a long time, but did tease that there’s still a chance that Chapter 5 could still happen, though we wouldn’t see it for a long time. In his words:
So I think that what I love about the end of John Wick 4 is, if this means that there's never another John Wick movie, it's a nice elegant way of ending it, right? If there is another John Wick movie, which I do believe there will be, we don't know what it is yet, but I do believe. I do feel like it will be a completely other book. If these movies were four chapters, you kind of blame it on the metaphor. The next John Wick will be another book. It won't be like six months later from John Wick 4.
Basil Iwanyk added that the cast and crew of the John Wick movies “love spending time together” and “the process,” and although these movies are difficult to put together, the overall experience is “fun as shit.” So John Wick: Chapter 5 not happening certainly wouldn’t be for a lack of interest from the creative talent involved, but for now, its chances of moving forward are up in the air. As Iwanyk pointed out, the first four movies comprise a complete story on their own, so even if Chapter 5 does get officially greenlit someday, it will essentially be kicking off a new story.
Whether that means John Wick will be resurrected, his death will be revealed to have been faked or if Chapter 5 will actually take place before the John Wick movies, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. But if Chapter 5 ultimately ends up being a pipe dream, at least fans can sit comfortable knowing that this action saga ended on a definitive note. Besides, it’s not like the John Wick franchise as a whole is going anywhere.
In addition to The Continental, the event series that explored Winston Scott’s origins, being available to watch in its entirety with a Peacock subscription, the franchise is deliver its first spinoff movie in the form of the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina, which is slated on the 2024 movies schedule. Additionally, in a separate interview with The Playlist, director Chad Stahelski shared that both a John Wick anime series and what sounds like another live-action show that will, among other things, explore The High Table “a little bit,” are in the works. So there’s still plenty left to be explored in this universe, with or without Keanu Reeves involved.
While the first three John Wick movies can be found on Peacock, you’ll need to be subscribed to Starz, be it directly or as an add-on through your Hulu subscription, to stream Chapter 4. Otherwise, keep a lookout for Ballerina’s theatrical release on June 7, 2024 and more news about what this franchise has coming up here on CinemaBlend.
