The adrenaline-fueled John Wick: Chapter 4 is out now with no follow-up film in sight, but that wasn’t always the case. John Wick: Chapter 4 brings back Keanu Reeves’ titular protagonist for his biggest excursion yet, with stunts and spectacle that outclass the already fantastic work done by director Chad Stahelski, the film’s stunt crew, and the rest of the creative team. The film also introduces some of the John Wick franchise’s best characters yet, such as the mysterious Mr. Nobody and Donnie Yen’s Caine.
In a film landscape so dependent on franchises and existing IP, it’s interesting that no follow-up to John Wick: Chapter 4 has been announced. This, however, wasn’t for lack of trying on behalf of the studio behind the film. Speaking with Screen Rant about John Wick: Chapter 4, director Chad Stahelski revealed that it was he who turned down the opportunity to shoot John Wick: Chapter 4 and a sequel film simultaneously. Here’s what he had to say on the subject:
God, to be honest with you, I don't know. Not to cause any weird clickbait or anything like that, the studio first came to us and went, "Look, we would like to explore the option of doing 4 and 5 together." And the daunting-ness of that at first is a little intimidating, [but] it's also incredibly flattering. In an industry where everyone's trying to get something made, and you're trying to get your wacky ideas made and somebody to listen and give them a shot, to have people come to you and go, "Please make more of what you do?" I can't thank Lionsgate enough for even presenting that opportunity.
I've been a part of projects that have done two films together at once and, [at least] for me, I don't know how to do it. Creatively, I don't know how to get my head around that. I think the greatest part is that, after each John Wick, I took two years off to go live and get better; to travel, to read more, and to get better. I don't know how to do a movie back-to-back and get better for the second one. You'd see John Wick 4 and then John Wick 4B, right? Same camera, same colors, same action, same style of choreography, same storylines. I had no time to be influenced by life and bring life back in, so I just thought it was kind of a cheat.
John Wick's Success Has A Lot To Do With Chad Stahelski's Timing
As exciting as news about John Wick: Chapter 5 would be, the results each franchise outing delivers makes it difficult to argue with Stahelski’s reasoning. The time taken “to go live” in between John Wick films has paid off for Stahelski every time; each John Wick film has leveled up on its predecessor in terms of its stunts, action sequences, and world-building. Stahelski’s willingness to take time away from the franchise after each successful film speaks to a discipline and restraint that has, thus far, ultimately been to the benefit of the studio and audience alike.
There are franchises for which filming multiple movies at once is a smart and cost-effective move, but the John Wick movies succeed based more on how unique their stunt choreography and fight scenes are than the serialized nature of their stories. John Wick: Chapter 4 will be hard to top at any time, but at least a sense of perspective will let Stahelski sit with ideas and flesh them out to their fullest potential. Of course, given that the A-list actor doing his own stunts in John Wick: Chapter 4 is nearing 60 years old, Stahelski may want to get the ball rolling sooner than later.