Last week, Deadline reported that Lionsgate was working on a fifth John Wick movie, although the fourth one has not even begun filming yet. The action franchise is a massive asset for the studio, so it makes sense that they are rushing to capitalize on its success. Many fans are already impatient for a new installment of John Wick and further updates on the prospective sequels.
John Wick was an underdog success for Lionsgate back in 2014. It reinvigorated star Keanu Reeves‘ career in many ways and proved movie audiences are interested in an original action movie ideas. After the sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, the franchise appeared to be headed for a trilogy, but shortly after John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum stormed the box office, Lionsgate announced that a fourth movie was on the way.
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Like so many other productions, John Wick: Chapter 4 was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic this spring. The movie was already behind several other priorities on Reeves’ busy slate, including The Matrix 4 and Bill & Ted Face the Music. While they may have to wait a long time for another movie, fans can at least take solace in knowing that John Wick: Chapter 4 will not be the last they see of the reluctant assassin.
The franchise stars Reeves as a high-class hitman who has somehow escaped his violent life in favor of a peaceful marriage, only to have senseless tragedy pull him right back in. Throughout three movies, John Wick’s semi-mystical fictional world has been expanded more and more, enthralling many fans.
Their thirst for new content will be quenched for years to come. Here is a breakdown of what we know about John Wick: Chapter 5 and the future of the franchise.
Reason
Deadline reported that plans for John Wick 5 were announced in an earnings call among Lionsgate executives on Monday. The company’s CEO John Feltheimer reportedly explained: “We hope to shoot both John Wick 4 and 5 back to back when Keanu becomes available early next year.” This seems to indicate that the studio is rushing ahead with two sequels to make the most of the time they can carve out of Reeves’ busy schedule. Considering the success of all the John Wick films so far, this seems like a worthwhile gamble.
Release Date(s)
John Wick 4 was already going to have to wait for Reeves to finish filming other projects, even before the coronavirus pandemic began. Now, the movie is projected to hit theaters on May 27 of 2022 — Memorial Day Weekend of that year. As for John Wick 5, Feltheimer did not indicate a planned release date for the sequel. However, if fans know that the movies were flimed back to back, it may be hard for the studio to justify withholding John Wick 5 for long after Chapter 4 has been released.
Status Report
Since Reeves is busy with other projects, John Wick 4 has not moved into real production yet. However, Feltheimer told other executives that the studio is “also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our John Wick action franchise.” This indicates that the screenplays will be written in tandem well ahead of time, with plenty of time to perfect them before even setting foot on a film set. This is reason for excitement for fans, especially those that love the surreal narrative elements of John Wick, as it will likely lead ot a more cohesive story.
‘The Continental’
While the wait for John Wick 4 might seem agonizing, it is worth remembering that there are two spin-offs from the franchise on the way. On is The Continental, a prestige TV series set to premiere on Starz in 2022. The show will center around the mysterious hotel where much of the story takes place — a neutral ground where hitmen are forbidden from killing others. Many fans hope it will include the characters Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (Lance Reddick).
‘Ballerina’
The other John Wick spin-off in the works is called Ballerina, focusing on the strange ballet and wrestling school that features in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum. The script for this movie has already been written by Shay Hatten, who co-wrote Chapter 3. Deadline reported that Lionsgate had put the project on a “fast track” after the success of Chapter 3.
Few details are known about Ballerina, but rumors suggest that Chloë Grace Moretz is being considered for the lead role. Len Wiseman has been chosen as the director, and the film has no release date yet.
Other Keanu Reeves Projects
Fans who are impatient for John Wick 4 to come out can at least take solace in the fact that Reeves is hard at work on other projects they will probably enjoy as well. The actor was in the middle of filming The Matrix 4 when the coronavirus hit, forcing production to halt. He will complete that movie when it is safe, pleasing generations of action fans.
Reeves has also completed The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on The Run, the video game Cyberpunk 2077, and another belated sequel, Bill & Ted Face the Music, in the time since John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum was released. Chapter 4 is next on his to-do list after The Matrix 4, according to IMDb. Other projects on his slate include Rally Car, Rain and Past Midnight.
Other ‘John Wick’ Projects
Finally, truly die-hard fans can always turn to other forms of media for their John Wick fix. The franchise has now expanded into two video games — John Wick Chronicles and John Wick Hex. The characters have also made their way into other games, such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Payday 2.
Dynamite Comics published a John Wick comic book miniseries starting in the fall of 2017 as well. Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Giovanni Valletta, the five-book series gives details on Wick’s backstory, including his youth, his time in prison and his first personal vendetta. If The franchise continues to be a big seller for Lionsgate, there is no doubt that more spinoffs like this are on the way, fleshing out the world of John Wick a little more each time.
