Posted in: Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Chad Stahelksi, john wick, John Wick: Chapter 4, keanu reeves, lionsgate

John Wick: Chapter 4 – Director Says It's "The End of That for Now"

John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski has confirmed that the ending we got is the one we're getting for now, and also why we heard about Chapter 5 at one point.

Published Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:47:07 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

"John Wick: Chapter 4" director Chad Stahelski confirms the film's ending is definitive for now.
Stahelski addresses past announcement of "Chapter 5", reveals plans changed during the development.
While "John Wick: Chapter 5" looks unlikely, Stahelski does not rule out future franchise entries.
Despite a conclusion for John Wick's journey, the franchise's world continues with a post-credits scene, and the future spinoff film.

When it comes to franchises that have nailed it nearly every single time, John Wick might have one of the best track records. The first four movies all walked away with box office and critical success, with everyone praising the films for their innovative stunt and fight work and the fantastic worldbuilding that went into films that seem like they are like every other film we have seen about assassins in the last couple of years. While the first spinoff TV show, The Continental, did not precisely land with people, there is still hope for Ballerina and maybe even more hope for more films within the primary franchise. At the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, it very much seemed like John Wick had died finally accomplishing what he set out to do the moment armed men stormed into his house and killed his dog so long ago. However, there was still that lingering hint that maybe Wick was still out there somewhere. Right now, director Chad Stahelski is saying, in an interview with Collider, that if you're hoping for John Wick: Chapter 5, you probably shouldn't get your hopes too high because the ending we have right now is the ending we are getting–at least, for now.

"It was just never the way Keanu and I saw it, so we just worked and worked and worked and cut down a bunch of sequences, and took some stuff out, and ended up with a movie that you now see in one film," he explained. "But the idea was always that, yes, John Wick ends his journey like he does at the end of the movie, and that was gonna be the end of that for now."

Chad Stahelski – Director, Laurence Fishburne as Bowery King, and Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate

However, if you were someone who follows movie announcements or maybe writes about them for a living, you might have been a little confused by the rather definitive feeling ending of John Wick: Chapter 4. There had been an announcement, at one point, that both Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 were not only greenlit but would be filming back to back. Stahelski commented on that, making it sound like Chapter 4 was so big that everyone assumed they would need a Chapter 5.

"Sometimes, I wake up to things in the industry magazines that are pretty funny. I woke up to that one saying I'm doing a [John Wick] 4 and 5. I think because, at the time in development, we had such a big idea that it was assumed that we'd try to break it. That was early in development, and then we started trimming and started moving things around, changing the story, and Keanu and I figured like, "Oh no…" You know, people didn't think we could do everything we wanted to in one film, so I think they kept that idea alive and even into post."

Even though many people involved with this franchise seem keen for a break, no one says they would never return to do another film in this franchise. They did four massive films in less than ten years; that's a big deal, so we don't blame anyone for wanting a break or doing something different. That ending we got in John Wick: Chapter 4 gave us an end for John, but also showed that the world that he helped introduce us to very much continues with that post-credits scene.

John Wick: Chapter 4: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes. John Wick: Chapter 4 stars Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, and Ian McShane. It is directed by Chad Stahelski, written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, and based on characters by Derek Kolstad. Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski are producing, and Keanu Reeves, Louise Rosner, David Leitch, and Michael Paseornek are executive producing. It was released on March 24, 2023.