John Wick Director Has Ideas for Part 5 (& Explains Why It Might Not Happen)

Ever since John Wick was buried at the end of John Wick Chapter 4, fans have speculated about how he might come back. The character seems invincible, so while having him die at the end of Chapter 4 gave the story a perfect ending, speculation about a “John Wick Chapter Five” started up pretty much as soon as Chapter 4 was out of theaters. According to Chad Stahelski, who directed John Wick and co-created the character, they are still considering story ideas for a fifth Wick, and have a pretty good idea of what they would want to do with it. The problem? They don’t want to ruin it, and Stahelski doesn’t think you could top Chapter 4.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Chad Stahelski sounded confident that you could do a good version of Chapter 5 under the right circumstances…but not 100% sure that they will actually make it.

“The honest truth is you don’t [top John Wick: Chapter 4],” Stahelski told THR. “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.” 

The key to cracking that story, according to Stahelski, is viewing it as distinct from what came before. In other words, if there’s a Chapter 5, don’t expect it to spend too much time dealing with the fallout from Chapter 4.

“It would not be part of that [John Wick: Chapter 4] storyline. It would not be what you would think it is. As far as [John Wick: Chapter 4], we’ve peaked. At least, I have,” Stahelski explained. “That’s my apex. We ended it. It’s a complete story. I watch it now, and I feel very happy about it, but we wouldn’t try to outdo it. We wouldn’t try to add on to that. It’d have to be a completely different storyline.”

There are, of course plenty of completely different storylines to explore already in the Wickverse, with Ballerina coming up as a spinoff in June. A TV spinoff, The Continental, is already underway.

Whether Stahelski and company will choose to tack a fifth “chapter” on top of those is anyone’s guess…but it’s apparent that there are still definitely conversations going on.