Warning: This article contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4. Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and many of the original cast members are up to their old tricks in John Wick: Chapter 4, but The Elder, the most prominent member of the High Table, has been recast. John Wick first met The Elder in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum after a long and painful journey to clear his name, but their meeting did not go the way the fabled assassin hoped. Wick's desire to rid himself of the High Table ended with him becoming further bound to it when The Elder gave him one option - be of service and kill The Continental's manager, Winston.
After being forced to give a token of his allegiance - his wedding ring and the finger attached to it - Wick left the desert to carry out his commandment, though things did not go according to plan for the High Table and The Elder when Wick had a change of heart. Wick returns to The Elder in John Wick 4, looking to retrieve his wedding ring, but finds that the leader has been replaced and cannot give back this last physical token of his late wife's affection. With nothing to offer Wick but the same obfuscations as the previous Elder, Wick must look to the High Table's new representative, the Marquis de Gramont, for satisfaction.
Why John Wick 4 Recast Saïd Taghmaoui's Elder With George Georgiou
Even prior to the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, Saïd Taghmaoui was rumored to be absent from the film's cast. Why George Georgiou replaced Taghmaoui's Elder remains somewhat of a mystery, but Taghmaoui has been busy with television series like Professionals since 2020, and it is possible that scheduling conflicts arose during the time John Wick 4 was filming. With The Family Plan and Tin Soldier also in various stages of production, Taghmaoui's film schedule may have been too full to fit in even a small appearance as The Elder in John Wick 4.
Recasting The Elder works to the advantage of the John Wick franchise and represents one of the recurring themes of the movie. The fact that The Elder can be killed and replaced after John Wick fails his assignment means the High Table's reach extends to everyone and no one is above the rules, which also becomes important when Wick challenges the Marquis to a duel. It also proves Winston's hydra analogy true - cut the head off of the High Table and another grows back "before the body is cold."
Where Else You've Seen John Wick 4's New The Elder Actor
If John Wick 4's new Elder actor looks familiar, it will be because George Georgiou has appeared in popular fantasy series like Game of Thrones, comedies like Sex Education, and dramas like Homeland and Law & Order. Georgiou is also known for being a voice actor in the Assassin's Creed video game franchise, and for being heavily involved in London's West End theater scene. Currently, he can be seen in the AMC original series Kin, as well as the fantasy series Carnival Row on Amazon Prime.
While it is striking that The Elder's appearance is different in John Wick 4, the scene he shares with Wick is so short that it does not affect the narrative very much. It could be that Taghmaoui did not want to return for what amounted to a brief cameo, but the role may have been shortened because John Wick 4 couldn't get the original actor. For being the overarching antagonist of the previous two John Wick movies, it feels odd that The Elder's storyline is wrapped up so quickly, but as is repeated many times in John Wick: Chapter 4 "the High Table only takes life, and it only gives death."