John Wick 4 Director Reveals Why They Walked Back a Major Announcement for the Sequel

Fans have been waiting a long time to see Keanu Reeves star in John Wick: Chapter 4. The third installment was released back in 2019 and the fourth movie was originally supposed to open in 2021 before the pandemic set back production. Not only was the movie pushed back, but the folks behind the scenes also had to alter their original plan to film the fourth and fifth movies together. In an interview with Total Film (via CBR), director Chad Stahelski explained why they opted not to film John Wick 4 and John Wick 5 back to back.

“I didn’t feel good about doing 4 and 5 collectively,” Stahelski shared, explaining that it would require a 200-day production, which he felt would be too much for the cast and crew. However, Stahelski says a fifth movie is still incoming. “Keanu calls it the John Wick fever,” Stahelski joked. “You haven’t done John Wick for two years and you’re like, ‘We gotta go do something!’”

In addition to Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 4 will feature some exciting new additions to the cast, including Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Bill Skarsgård (It and It Chapter Two) as well as Japanese-British pop star Rina Sawayama. 

Will Keanu Reeves Be In Any John Wick Spin-Offs? 

John Wick: Chapter 4 is not the only project in the evergrowing franchise to look forward to. Starz is working on The Continental, a prequel set decades before the original films, and Lionsgate has a Ballerina feature in production. The movie will be based on the group led by Anjelica Huston’s character in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Knives Out and No Time To Die star Ana de Armas would be starring in the project. Recently, it was confirmed that Reeves will be appearing in the project as John Wick. It was also confirmed that McShane will be reprising his role in the film.

“We’re thrilled to have Ian McShane joining us for a pivotal role in Ballerina,” producer Basil Iwanyk said in a statement announcing the casting. “He’s been such an integral part of the franchise since the original John Wick. It’s been fun to have him on this journey as the Wick universe expands.”

Are you still hoping for John Wick: Chapter 5? Tell us in the comments!