In every successful box office franchise, there comes a moment of conclusion that feels satisfying to nearly all involved—that is, until producers pocket-watching said film’s box office success come knocking, asking, “What are next?” Take, for example, Keanu Reeves’ career-reviving action series John Wick. Although the series’ hype is at an all-time high, its co-creator is firmly against allowing a potential fifth film to diminish the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4.
In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, series co-creator Chad Stahelski reiterated that fans should temper their expectations of seeing Reeves return in a fifth film in the franchise. His reasoning? John Wick’s story is over. Bookended, even. What’s more, Stahelski (rightfully) believes Wick’s ending was so poignant that continuing the franchise by bringing him back would cheapen the film’s picture-perfect send off. For Stahelski, the idea of a fifth movie serves more as a creative exercise than a genuine artistic pursuit.
“The honest truth is you don’t [top John Wick: Chapter 4]. 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. 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,” Stahelski told THR. “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.”
Although Stahelski has spun narrative yarn over where he could take the franchise next, he’s pretty comfortable in saying wherever the numbered continuation goes, it won’t follow any element of John’s story arc.
“It would not be part of that [John Wick: Chapter 4] storyline. It would not be what you would think it is. 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,” Stahelski continued. “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.”
Now that Stahelski has made it irrefutably clear that he doesn’t plan on pulling a Deadpool & Wolverine by bringing the Baba Yaga back, there are some John Wick projects coming down the pipeline that hope to expand its mythos. Aside from the prequel tv show The Continental, fans can look forward to Ana de Armas staring in the clunkily titled John Wick Presents: Ballerina.
Beyond Ballerina‘s June 6, 2025 release date, fans can look forward to a prequel anime featurette that’ll showcase John Wick completing the “impossible task” that let him retire from contract killing (for a time). There’s also a spin-off series in development by Robert Levine called Under the High Table that will follow the series’ supporting characters. A spin-off for Donnie Yen’s Caine is also being written. So yeah, there’s a lot more Wickverse stuff in store.
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