'John Wick 4' Casts Clancy Brown

John Wick 4 has added another new cast member to its ranks, bringing iconic character actor Clancy Brown into the action franchise. Deadline was first to report the news, though no details were provided regarding the role Brown is playing. John Wick 4 director Chad Stahelski issued a statement on Brown joining the cast, and he revealed that he is very excited to be working with the legendary star.

"I have been a fan of Clancy Brown's since I can remember. To have him be a part of this project is an honor," Stahelski said. "He will make a perfect addition to the World of John Wick!" Brown joins other franchise newcomers Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rina Sawayama, and Shamier Anderson in the movie. This is in addition to John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves, as well as returning stars Lance Reddick and Ian McShane.

😉 pic.twitter.com/YGB0k6QxsX

— Clancy Brown (@RealClancyBrown) August 9, 2021

John Wick: Chapter 4 was written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. The film was originally set to shoot back-to-back with John Wick 5, but Lionsgate, the production studio, opted to postpone those plans due to production plans likely attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. John Wick: Chapter 4 will be shot on its own, with a 2022 premiere date, and Chapter 5 will be filmed at a later date.

The first John Wick came out in 2012 and made over $88 million on a budget of less than $30 million. The second film in the franchise — John Wick: Chapter 2 — opened in 2017 and made over $170 million on a $40 million budget. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum premiered in 2019 and raked in a worldwide revenue total of more than $325 million on a budget of less than $75 million.

Collectively, the three John Wick films alone have made the franchise over a half-billion dollars. This sum is on a combined budget of somewhere under $145 million. To say that the franchise has been lucrative is quite an understatement.

However, it's not just financial success that keeps the franchise going as each film has also been increasingly heralded by film critics. As far as Rotten Tomatoes scores go, all three films are Certified Fresh, with John Wick at 87%, John Wick: Chapter 2 at 89%, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum at 90%. In 2017, a five-issue prequel comic book series was released, telling the story of a young John Wick after his prison release.