'John Wick 4': First Look at Keanu Reeves in Long-Awaited Action Sequel

By Stephen Andrew

John Wick 4 has been delayed until next year, but now we have our first official look at the long-awaited action movie sequel. In an image shared on Friday, franchise star Keanu Reeves — who plays the titular character — is seen amidst a shrine or altar of some kind, with candles lit all around him. The photo doesn't offer any specifics about the film, but it's clear that the new film will have some high-quality imagery.

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, likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. John Wick: Chapter 4 was filmed from June to October 2021, and Chapter 5 will be filmed at a later date. Notably, the new film was initially set to premiere May 21, 2021, but was later delayed to May 27, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film will now open on March 23, 2023. There is no word on whether or not the ongoing pandemic is once again the cause of the delay.

In addition to Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 4 will also bring back Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Ian McShane will all reprise their roles from the past films. Director Chad Stahelski is back as well, having also helmed the first three John Wick films. Franchise newcomers this time around include Rina Sawayama, Donnie Yen, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, and Clancy Brown. 

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.

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