John Wick franchise brought Keanu Reeves back to the forefront of action films after a commercial decline in the early 2010s. The franchise explores the story of a retired assassin who returns to the criminal underworld following the killing of his dog. The success of the first movie set a franchise in motion, that has released four movies to date.
The franchise is set to expand with a television series, The Continental, and a spin-off film, Ballerina. John Wick’s primary plotline was supposed to end after the fourth movie. However, neither director Chad Stahelski nor Keanu Reeves is keen on letting go of the franchise.
John Wick: Chapter 4 Had A Deleted Scene That Confirmed Further Movies
!! Spoiler Alert !!
Chad Stahelski has opened up about the possibility of John Wick’s return for a fifth or potentially more movies. In his appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Stahelski revealed that he had initially included a scene in the end credits where John Wick was shown standing over his grave. The deleted scene confirmed that the assassin was alive, however, a test audience hated the idea, calling it very Hollywood-esque. Stahelski disclosed:
“I wanna see and I was curious too. In my heart of hearts, I knew what the right way to go was, but like f**k it, let’s test it and see. And we tested it, and we got such a violent reaction from the audience. It was like we weren’t even on like the credits hadn’t even finished rolling, and everybody’s just like it felt very Hollywood-esque.”
In hindsight, the audience was right about the scene. Also, the hope for a new John Wick movie could generate more hype if such a movie were to be made. As much as fans long for a fifth film, it is also notable that most people were content with the emotional conclusion, believing it was time for John Wick to rest beside the love of his life.
Will Keanu Reeves Return For John Wick 5?
Chad Stahelski’s intention to include such a scene in John Wick 4 shows that the director is up for a fifth movie. Following the massive success of the fourth installment, Lionsgate Studio has also expressed interest in making more movies in the franchise. However, Stahelski and Keanu Reeves have announced taking a break from the franchise. This means that even if a fifth movie is in the cards, it will happen only after some time.
In the meantime, Keanu Reeves will return as John Wick in a cameo role in Ballerina. Ballerina tells the story of another assassin played by Ana de Armas and the movie is slated for release next year. Also, the television series, The Continental, will explore the origin story of the hotel that hosts the assassins and will premiere on September 22, 2023, on Peacock.
The franchise is also exploring other potential projects from spin-off movies for famous characters in the universe to crossovers with other film characters. Fans can stream the first three movies in the franchise on Peacock. John Wick: Chapter 4 is now available for rent on Apple TV.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
