"John Wicks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9": Director Clarifies Franchise Future After John Wick 4 (2024)

Director Chad Stahelski expands on his previous comments regarding the possibility of John Wick 5 and the franchise's future with Keanu Reeves. After three popular outings, Reeves' returned as the titular assassin for a fourth entry earlier this year. With the John Wick: Chapter 4 ending seemingly killing the character off, however, it's been somewhat unclear whether or not the mainline franchise will continue beyond the planned spinoffs.

Now, in a recent interview with Inverse, Stahelski clarifies how he and Reeves are approaching the prospect of John Wick 5, confirming that it's definitely not off the table. There are, however, several reasons why it's not yet a sure thing. Check out Stahelski's full comment below:

“I have notebooks and notebooks of s--t behind me, John Wicks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. We have ideas for days. We just don’t have the story locked. I have no interest in doing the cash grab of bringing John Wick back for something. Is he a character I like? Of course. And if I did a couple of John Wick movies, great. Keanu would do one again in a second if we had a good story. We leave that open-ended. I know that the studio would love us to say we have another one.

“Keanu and I are always interested in that, but we leave it hanging out there a little bit to figure out if we have something that we’d want to watch. Second, we have a studio that’s very enthusiastic and not just financially motivated, but they’re just interested in seeing what we could do with it. So, they’ve been super cool of us this year about branching off.

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“I know the term is “spin-offs” or “ancillaries” or whatever you want to call it. Keanu and I both went back, and we all said, ‘Look, we have ideas for the John Wick world, other characters that aren’t John Wick-centric. Would you guys be interested in exploring that?’ And they were super cool, and they said, ‘Yes, we’d be very interested in that.’ Characters that weren’t in any of the movies that had fallen to the sidelines because they just didn’t fit in our storylines, and some existing characters that we’d like to see other things.”

Should Keanu Reeves Return For John Wick 5?

Although John Wick 5 won't happen unless Stahelski and Reeves can think up a strong enough story, it's worth questioning whether Reeves should return for a fifth movie at all. After killing literally well over 400 people of people across the four films, the John Wick: Chapter 4 ending sees the assassin seemingly find peace in death.

The franchise has dealt extensively with themes regarding consequences, and the fourth film heavily explores the idea of living a meaningful life in order to achieve a meaningful death. In fact, both Stahelski and Reeves have been open about the fact that giving Wick a meaningful death was a key driver in their entire approach to the latest installment. While the John Wick: Chapter 4 ending certainly leaves the possibility open that Wick isn't actually dead, the film serves as a triumphant final entry in the saga, sending Reeves' character out with a bang instead of a whimper.

While there is certainly a case to be made that Reeves' character shouldn't return, it's also worth mentioning that each movie in the franchise has largely been better than the last. Clearly, Stahelski and Reeves have tapped into something special, and the trend so far suggests that a prospective John Wick 5 might end up being the best of the lot. It remains to be seen whether the pair will reteam for another installment, but the somewhat muted response to spinoff series The Continental suggests the franchise is at its best when Stahelski and Reeves are involved.

Source: Inverse