John Wick: Chapter 4 may be getting all kinds of high praise for arguably being the best entry of the franchise yet, but in terms of the story John Wick 4 also marks a pivotal point for the franchise. For years now during John Wick: Chapter 4‘s production we’ve been hearing reports that the John Wick franchise will be expanding into an entire franchise universe, as it moves forward. Well, John Wick: Chapter 4 certainly does the job of setting up a launchpad for the franchise’s expansion – though not entirely in the ways that fans might’ve expected!
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(MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW)
The storyline of John Wick: Chapter 4 sees John Wick (Keanu Reeves) recover from near-death and set out for revenge against those in the assassin world that either betrayed him or are hunting him. The cat-and-mouse chase goes all around the world but end in Paris, with a pistol duel between John and his old friend Caine (Donnie Yen), at the behest of High Table member the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård). John and Caine find a way to turn the tables of the duel and kill the Marquis – but John is fatally-injured and seemingly dies from his injuries. A funeral is held by Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), and there are no last-minute reveals of John walking away to a new life.
So…
What’s Next For the John Wick Franchise After Chapter 4?
Right now, there are three John Wick franchise projects that have been teased, announced, or are already in production:
The Ballerina Movie Spinoff – John Wick 3 revealed more of John’s backstory with the Ruska Roma, the surrogate gang/family that trained him to be an assain. That sequence in Parabellum was a backdoor launch for The Ballerina movie, as the ballerina assassin we saw training with “The Director” (Angelica Huston) becomes the main character for the spinoff. Ballerina will be set between the events of John Wick 3 and John Wick 4, with Oscar-nominee Ana de Armas taking on the titular role of the ballerina assasin, Rooney. Franchise veterans Ian McShane (Winston), Keanu Reeves (John Wick) and Angelica Huston wlll appear – and there will be a final appeaance from Lance Reddick’s Charon. Underworld’s Len Wiseman is directing from a script by John Wick 3 & 4 and Army of the Dead’s Shay Hatten, and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). Gabriel Byrne (Miller’s Crossing), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), and Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace).
The Continental TV Limited Series – John Wick’s famous Continental hotels are a core part of its franchise lore. The Continental will be a limited series consisting of three 90-minute episodes; it will be a prequel that follows Ian McShane’s Winston at a younger age, in the 1970s. The series will mix real history and John Wick franchise lore, to show how Winston took his position at The Continental in the midst of the turbulent ’70s, with NYC’s famous Great Garbage Strike and the rise of the Mafia. Colin Woodell (The Purge) will play a young Winston; Mel Gibson, Katie McGrath (Merlin), and Ray McKinnon (Mayans M.C.), will all co-star, and actor Ayomide Adegun will play a young Charon.
John Wick 5 – John Wick 5 was announced years back, and was originally supposed to shoot back-to-back with Chapter 4. Plans changed (obviously), but Lionsgate has maintained it will happen. However, now that John Wick 4 is here, it seems like Chapter 5 is less of a certainty. Here’s what director Chad Stahelski had to say:
“In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment. We’re going to give John Wick a rest,” Stahelski shared with THR. “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.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is now in theaters.
