If you’ve been a fan of action movies over the last decade, then you’ve likely watched the John Wick franchise. Or, if you’re like me, you’ve never missed a chance to enjoy Chapters 3 & 4 because they’re just that good. The ending of Chapter 4 made it clear that they could end the franchise there or bring back John should they desire. Since then, we’ve gotten the first look at the spinoff movie Ballerina, and it was recently confirmed that an anime prequel film is in development.
Enter Chad Stahelski, who is the director of the films, including the spinoff film, and helped make the man that Keanu Reeves would embody. To that end, in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, he got very candid about trying to top what he did last year:
“The honest truth is you don’t [top John Wick: Chapter 4]. You simply don’t. There’s no topping what we did. That’s the end. That’s the deal. That’s what we found closure for. Look, sometimes, we’ll keep things in development. Sometimes, we’ll use development as an exercise, but is there an opportunity to do [John Wick 5]? Of course, there is, whether it’s for money or for creativity. Jesus, in the last three years, I’ve already had three or four versions of a John Wick 5. They were different ways to crack the story, but it’s almost a mental exercise for me.”
He made it clear in the interview that IF they were to do a fifth movie, they would make it about a different storyline and not the fallout from Chapter 4. That’s important to Stahelski, as they “closed the loop” with that story and would need to go in a new direction. Whether things proceed is up to the studio, but it’s clear that if they don’t make a fifth main film, Stahelski will be fine with that.
