John Wick: Chapter 4 may have felt like a natural endpoint for the franchise (at least when it came to its title character), but Lionsgate has already confirmed plans for John Wick: Chapter 5. However, the big question is, will it actually happen? Director Chad Stahelski isn’t ruling anything out, but if John Wick: Chapter 5 does happen, he knows he won’t be able to top the fourth movie.

“The honest truth is you don’t. 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. My creative team and I can’t stop thinking about Wick,” Stahelski told THR. “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. Of course, there’s an opportunity, but it keeps us thinking. 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.“

Stahelski added that they have “some really good ideas” for a potential John Wick: Chapter 5 but that it wouldn’t be part of the John Wick: Chapter 4 storyline. “It would not be what you would think it is. If we could ever crack it to where Keanu and I thought it was a great idea and it didn’t feel like a cheese-out, then that’s great,” he said. “But as far as [John Wick: Chapter 4], we’ve peaked. At least I have. 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.“

Even without a fifth installment of the main series, there are still plenty of John Wick projects in development. Stahelski said that they’re “knee-deep in development on a feature anime about John Wick. It’s a prequel to the movies, which is awesome. It’s fun that it’s in a different medium.“

The next John Wick project to hit our screens will be Ballerina, a spinoff which stars Ana de Armas as a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. As the film takes place in the John Wick universe, it will feature appearances from several franchise characters, including Ian McShane as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, the Continental’s concierge, and Anjelica Huston as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma. Keanu Reeves will also make an appearance as John Wick. The film will also include Catalina Sandino Moreno, Gabriel Bryne, and Norman Reedus in undisclosed roles. The film is set to hit theaters on June 6, 2025.

Would you like to see John Wick: Chapter 5, or should they leave Baba Yaga alone?

The post Chad Stahelski on John Wick 5: “It’d have to be a completely different storyline” appeared first on JoBlo.

John Wick: Chapter 4 became the entry that solidified the franchise as a big moneymaker. And although the ending had left the future open for possible sequels, Keanu Reeves has not been secretive about how much harder it is to keep up with the action and begged for a definite ending for the character. However, despite several spin-offs being released, the studio now smells the money and wants to immediately develop a direct follow-up to Chapter 4 with Reeves in tow. People keep asking if he’s back, and he hasn’t really had an answer, but yeah, the studio is thinking he’s back.

ScreenRant has reported that Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake has stated at a recent earnings call, courtesy of ComicBook.com, that the studio is now including a Chapter 5 in the development of future franchise content. Drake has said, “On the Wick side we got multiple spin-offs and a Wick Five. We started to work on (it) right when the writer’s strike started and we’ve gotten back to work as soon as it ended.” The series’ director, Chad Stahelski, has spoken about his wishlist of actors to work with if he had chosen to revisit Wick’s world with Keanu. Staheksi told Inverse, “We have ideas for days. We just don’t have a story locked. Keanu would do one again in a second if we had a good story.”

Chapter 4 expanded its scope to include characters that could possibly get their own spin-off. Donnie Yen was featured as a new addition, and old friend of John’s, named Caine. There is a post-credits scene that teases a conflict that hadn’t been resolved with popstar Rina Sawayama’s character, who is the daughter of the slain Japanese Continental manager portrayed by Hiroyuki Sanada. Additionally, there is still a spin-off to be released starring Ana De Armas titled Ballerina. Reeves is set to make an appearance, as well as the late Lance Reddick.

Meanwhile, Peacock has recently debuted the prequel series of The Continental that follows Winston’s rise in the underworld of assassins. The director has recently teased the possibility of a second season.

The post John Wick 5 script is currently being written, plus other spin-offs appeared first on JoBlo.

Keanu Reeves gave just about everything he had to make the John Wick franchise the success that it is, but can it work without him? With the release of The Continental: From the World of John Wick nearly upon us, we’re about to find out, but even the producers of the series weren’t sure it was going to work without Keanu Reeves.

While speaking with THR, John Wick franchise producer Basil Iwanyk said, “It’s hard to look at: OK, why does a movie or franchise work? There’s a million different ways to look at it, and you just really don’t know. Of course, there’s research and bullshit, but it’s something in your gut. This is a prequel in the ’70s that doesn’t have Keanu and John Wick in it. Will it work?“

Iwanyk continued, “It was about the franchise and the health of the franchise and what attracts people to the franchise, as [much as] it was [about] telling a great story. We’re just kind of going and going and going and there isn’t that much time for self reflection of ‘Why is this working?’… We’re like, let’s just go forward and do things that we think are cool, and hopefully people agree. This show was the first time where we were going out of our comfort zone. And that was invigorating and exciting, but terrifying.”

“The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind,” reads the official synopsis for The Continental. “Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.“

So, does The Continental work without Keanu Reeves as John Wick? You’ll have to make that opinion for yourself, but our own Alex Maidy doesn’t think so. “The Continental is exactly what I feared it would be: an IP cash grab,” Maidy wrote in his review. “The truncated number of episodes made me think that The Continental would tell a propulsive and urgent story, but the bloated running times feel weak and overlong. Despite a great soundtrack of retro tracks, The Continental never justifies its existence.” You can check out the rest of Maidy’s review right here.

In addition to The Continental, there’s another John Wick spin-off on the way with Ballerina, which will star Ana de Armas as a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. Reeves will appear in the spin-off among other John Wick supporting characters. After the enormous success of John Wick: Chapter 4, Lionsgate is in early development on a fifth chapter as well.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick will premiere on Peacock on September 22nd, followed by the release of Night 2 on September 29th and Night 3 on October 6th.

The post The Continental producers didn’t know if John Wick spinoff would work without Keanu Reeves appeared first on JoBlo.

Ever since John Wick: Chapter 4 became a franchise-best as it gathered enthusiastic reactions across the board, and a billion dollars at the box office, Lionsgate kept asking the filmmakers if they’re back. And they haven’t really had an answer. But, now, yeah. They’re thinking they’re back! While Chapter 4 slyly left it up to interpretation on whether or not John Wick is truly out of commission, the door was cracked open enough so that if Chad Stahelski and company decided to return for another round of bullets and fists, they could. Additionally, it had been reported that after the opening performance of Chapter 4, Lionsgate was begging for more with Keanu Reeves in the titular role, even though he’s already set to make a small appearance in the upcoming spin-off, Ballerina.

ComicBook.com reports that Motion Picture group chairman Joe Drake confirmed during Lionsgate’s Q4 2023 earnings call that the studio was in early development for a Chapter 5. Drake expounded, “We’re now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there’s clear appetite by the audience. What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spinoff that comes out next year. We’re in development on three others, including [John Wick 5] and including television series, The Continental, will be airing soon. And so, we’re building out the world and when that five movie comes, will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.”

Ballerina is a spin-off that will feature Ana De Armas in a role stemming from the Russian ballet academy from Chapter 3 that is tied to the house of family which assassin John Wick belongs to. The film is said to take place between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, which means that even if Chapter 4 was a definitive conclusion to Keanu’s character, his inclusion in the spin-off is continuity appropriate. Reeves and De Armas would compliment each other’s dedication to the action. Perhaps if Ballerina is just as successful, there is a chance De Armas could crossover into Wick’s world.

Ballerina will also feature the final appearance of Lance Reddick as Charon, The Continental’s trusty concierge. The actor tragically passed just before John Wick: Chapter 4 made its American debut with the Los Angeles premiere. While the character is likely to have a backstory told through the upcoming Continental prequel, Charon’s story would be concluded with Chapter 4 and though another actor would be portraying the younger version of him, Reddick would be cemented in the role.

The post John Wick: Chapter 5: Lionsgate is reloading to fire off another entry in the Keanu Reeves action series appeared first on JoBlo.

Even though John Wick: Chapter 4 has pulled in over $400 million worldwide and is one of the highest-grossing movies of 2023 so far, that doesn’t mean that signals a guaranteed John Wick 5. And that’s coming from director Chad Stahelski, who has helmed the series since the beginning.

Speaking with The Direct, Stahelski said so much energy and creativity was put into the fourth movie that he couldn’t possibly begin to comprehend John Wick 5, although he hasn’t completely shut out the idea. “The real question you ask yourself is not, ‘Do I want it?’ Yes, I wouldn’t mind doing it. We just tried to knock it out of the park. We tried to put everything on the table, take nothing, and leave it all. Like, ‘Fuck it, every idea. We’re not saving anything. We’re not trying to build. Just everything you got, leave it there.’ We feel we put everything we had into John Wick 4, and we feel we completed the cycle. We feel like we ended it. So, we feel like, ‘You know, that was a great way to wrap up the previous three films and the fourth and deliver something satisfying and fun.’” He added, “Right now, if you put a gun in my head, you might as well shoot me.” OK, what if we kill your dog, though…?

That’s not terribly hopeful for John Wick 5. And one has to consider just how much effort goes into creating an action-forward film that has an actual story to it. It’s not just writing itself: Keanu beats up baddies for an hour, sprinkle in a little more backstory to expand the universe, have him go at it for another hour or so, roll credits. Boom, John Wick 5! But that can get tiresome and turn into self-parody, which is something Stahelski is well aware of. “It’s very easy to be repetitive. The trick is how you be repetitive with individuality. How do you put your authorship or your agency into something that’s obviously been done three times before?”

Whether or not we get John Wick 5, the universe is expanding greatly over the next couple of years, with miniseries The Continental hitting Peacock in September and spinoff Ballerina twirling to theaters in June 2024. But Stahelski did say earlier this year that he and Keanu Reeves would be giving the series a rest but that if the right idea made it to paper, he’d be game, so maybe there will be a time and place for it down the line.

Would you like there to be a John Wick 5 or did the fourth chapter give the series a fitting enough conclusion? Let us know!

The post Chad Stahelski not so sure about John Wick 5 appeared first on JoBlo.

During a Lionsgate earnings call last summer, CEO John Feltheimer revealed that they were hoping to shoot the next two installments of the John Wick franchise back-to-back, which is something Ian McShane, who plays Winston, mentioned earlier this year. "Keanu [Reeves] and I exchanged New Year’s greetings and said, 'Hope to see you this year,'" McShane said. "I know the script is being written and they’re hoping to do it this year. I know they announced they were gonna do ['John Wick 4'] and ['John Wick 5'] together, but who knows. The studios announce all sorts of things. No doubt, at some point this year, we’re gonna do 'John Wick 4'." However, much like the Mission: Impossible sequels, it seems that the back-to-back production has been scrapped.

According to Collider, John Wick: Chapter 4 is gearing up to shoot this June in Berlin and Paris, with additional photography in New York City and Japan, but while production on John Wick: Chapter 5 was originally slated to kick off immediately after, Collider has heard that only the fourth film will be shooting this summer. With COVID-19 still playing havoc with schedules, this isn't a huge surprise, but as we've become accustomed to, anything can happen during these crazy times.

While we're talking John Wick, it was revealed yesterday that franchise creator and writer Derek Kolstad would not be returning for the sequels and that it wasn't his choice to walk away from the franchise. "It wasn't my decision," Kolstad said. "When you think of the contractually of these things, the third one I shared the credit with any number of people, they didn't have to come back to me, and so they didn't. And so you look at that and you could be hurt, and I would say if I was 20 years ago I would have been, but seeing what the industry is and how things go, I just believe that you bless everything and hope it all the best, and to the players involved who are doing other things elsewhere. And yeah, it's personal, so I'm never going to talk shit about John Wick. I want this thing to survive and thrive." As for who has been writing the upcoming sequels, Collider says that Mike Finch (American Assassin) has been the main writer, although a number of others have been involved as well.

 John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently slated for a May 27, 2022 release.

The post John Wick sequels reportedly won’t be shooting back-to-back appeared first on JoBlo.

Following the success of John Wick, Lionsgate got the ball rolling on John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which brought the franchise to new heights, and the studio later announced that John Wick: Chapter 4 and John Wick: Chapter 5 were in the works. However, when these new John Wick films arrive, they will do so without the guiding hand of one of the architects of the franchise.

Derek Kolstad wrote the first two John Wick films and was joined by Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams on the third, but the writer/creator recently spoke with Collider to reveal that he's "actually not involved in four and five." Kolstad continued, "At a certain stage of the studio will tell you, your creation is graduated, and you wish it well. I'm still close with Chad, still close with Dave, and I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm excited to see." According to Kolstad, it wasn't his choice to walk away from the franchise.

No, it wasn't my decision. When you think of the contractually of these things, the third one I shared the credit with any number of people, they didn't have to come back to me, and so they didn't. And so you look at that and you could be hurt, and I would say if I was 20 years ago I would have been, but seeing what the industry is and how things go, I just believe that you bless everything and hope it all the best, and to the players involved who are doing other things elsewhere. And yeah, it's personal, so I'm never going to talk shit about John Wick. I want this thing to survive and thrive.

It remains to be seen who has penned the scripts for the next installments of the John Wick franchise, but Ian McShane, who plays Winston in the franchise, has previously said that the script is being written and that he hopes they'll start shooting later this year. "Keanu [Reeves] and I exchanged New Year’s greetings and said, 'Hope to see you this year,'" McShane said. "I know the script is being written and they’re hoping to do it this year. I know they announced they were gonna do ['John Wick 4'] and ['John Wick 5'] together, but who knows. The studios announce all sorts of things. No doubt, at some point this year, we’re gonna do 'John Wick 4'." John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently slated for a May 27, 2022 release.

The post John Wick writer won’t be back for upcoming movies appeared first on JoBlo.

The John Wick franchise has grown larger than perhaps anyone expected. Following the success of the first film, Lionsgate got the ball rolling on John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and just days after the release of the third film, the studio announced that John Wick: Chapter 4 was also in the works. That's a lot of head-shots.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down much of Hollywood, John Wick: Chapter 4 was slated to be released this May, but the film was naturally pushed back and production has yet to begin. While speaking with Collider, Ian McShane, who plays Winston in the franchise, said that he hopes John Wick: Chapter 4 will start shooting this year.

Keanu [Reeves] and I exchanged New Year’s greetings and said, 'Hope to see you this year.' I know the script is being written and they’re hoping to do it this year. I know they announced they were gonna do ['John Wick 4'] and ['John Wick 5'] together, but who knows. The studios announce all sorts of things. No doubt, at some point this year, we’re gonna do 'John Wick 4'.

Ian McShane mentioned John Wick: Chapter 4 and John Wick: Chapter 5 shooting back-to-back, which lines up with what Lionsgate CEO John Feltheimer revealed last summer. McShane added that he's always been a big fan of the franchise. "They got such a good cast for the first one and it was a very good script," McShane said. "I thought the second one wasn’t quite as good, but people by then loved it and went with it. I think the third one was really terrific, so it lived up to it. I always thought it had legs because of Keanu, a dead wife, a dog, a gun, and a great car. It had all of the elements, so how can you fail?" John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently slated for a May 27, 2022 release.

The post John Wick 4: Ian McShane hopes the sequel starts shooting this year appeared first on JoBlo.

It didn't take long for JOHN WICK to become the little action franchise which could. After the success of the first film, Lionsgate got the ball rolling on JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2, which was then followed by JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM. Mere days after the release of the third installment, the studio announced that JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 was in the works, and now it seems that JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 5 is in our future as well.

During today's Lionsgate earnings call, CEO John Feltheimer revealed a tidbit about the action franchise, saying, "We’re also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our John Wick action franchise, with John Wick 4 slated to hit theatres Memorial Day weekend 2022." Not only is a fifth installment of JOHN WICK in the works, but Feltheimer said that they "hope to shoot both John Wick 4 & 5 back to back when Keanu becomes available early next year." I'm always down for more of Keanu Reeves dishing out headshots left and right, so I'm a happy man. In addition to the two new sequels, Lionsgate is also developing The Continental, a Starz TV series which will hopefully premiere sometime after the release of JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4.

The COVID-19 shutdown forced the release date of JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 to be pushed back, but franchise director Chad Stahelski said earlier this year that the additional time has been good for the creative team.

Obviously, the Wicks aren’t formulaic or anything like that, so it takes a little while to kind of come up with the thematics we want to do and how nutty and subversive we want to be on storytelling. So, it’s been a lot of back and forth to really try and crack what we want to do with the next John Wick. There’s so many ideas to go with, between the action design, the set pieces and where we would want to shoot all that stuff. So, that’s been good for us. Time is always good when you’re in development. I’m fortunate enough to not have to run into the danger of too much time on anything I’ve done, so this has been nice to try and figure things out. What ideas survive the next day test.

Stahelski added that there were several elements he originally intended to include in the third film but pulled out to save for the fourth. "I like thematics," Stahelski said. "Obviously, you can see the influences of the old Westerns and the old Samurai films. All the Arthurian tales for chivalry and all that kind of stuff, back to that. We had a couple of overlapping thematics, and I stripped it down to the bare essentials. And there were two action sequences that we had really kind of conceived, but we just didn’t have room for them. So, we pulled them from the movie. And I’d like to think that 90 percent of what I pulled, there’s a place in John Wick 4 that I can definitely reinsert them." JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is currently slated for a May 27, 2022 release.

The post John Wick 5 is greenlit – will likely shoot back-to-back with 4 appeared first on JoBlo.