The franchise of John Wick revolutionized the genre of action films and gave superhero films a run for their money. John Wick: Chapter 4 ‘s massive success and fame continues to rise as it continues to entertain the cinemagoing audience. Keanu Reeves made a comeback into another old franchise after reprising his role in the famous sci-fi film Matrix: Resurrections.
John Wick: Parabellum outdid its predecessor and Chapter 4 aimed for the same, and its action choreography has taken audiences by surprise. The director of Chapter 4 Chad Stahelski shared his two endings for the film and how the film could have gone in any direction.
Chad Stahelski wants to keep the audience guessing about John Wick
Stahelski directed the three movies before the fourth edition of the series. John Wick films are known for their superb action sequences, they set the standard for action films in Hollywood and outside. The characters like the violent and skillful lead who has a soft corner for dogs and romanticizes revenge add an emotional connection to the film. Stahelski was going to kill Wick in the fourth film,
“I got a lot of faces. I mean, I have a very good relationship with Lionsgate. They’re great, they’ve been very supportive, but I don’t think any exec or any producer in the world would smile when you say you’re gonna kill off their successful franchise character.”
He continues,
“But, you want to have that confrontation, like, ‘Look, this is what’s right,’ but you’ve got to see it from their side, too. […] But you know, ‘Let me try to execute it the way we are. Let me build the story around it and I’ll do you a solid. I’ll tell you what, I’ll shoot the ending two ways, you know, with one extra little thing, two extra little shots. I’ll let you know he’s alive, and I’m gonna leave it up to the audience to decide, and we’re gonna test both.’ […] And they were super cool.”
The first ending was a little optimistic where John survives the duel, and the second one is where his gravestone is shown, this marks the end of the legend in the film. Yet, it also leaves possibilities for a future comeback, because John Wick’s body was never shown. After multiple audience tests the ending we saw was released, this proves the effort and thought given into making the film.
Chad Stahelski’s John Wick franchise has many leads now
It is true, no studio or producer will want to kill a character that makes more money every time he appears on screen, to put it very bluntly John Wick sells, and to kill him would mean a huge loss. John Wick as a franchise might not end after the death of the lead as it has some new characters who are powerful and could get spin-off shows or films in the future.
The ending teased that John Wick might be alive or not, the director left it up to the audience to decide or wait for the next film to be announced. Characters like Rina Sawayama’s Akira, and Ana de Armas will play Rooney in Ballerina and might take leading roles in the franchise.
Source: Collider
