John Wick 4 reportedly starts filming in June. The acclaimed action franchise has gotten stronger as time's gone on, with 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum becoming the highest-grossing installment to date. The amount of success John Wick has had over the years has cemented it as a viable cash cow for Lionsgate, and they have no intention of ending the series any time soon. They officially announced John Wick 4 shortly after the third film came out, striking very much while the iron is hot.
At one point, John Wick 4 was supposed to come out in 2021, but that timeline has changed. Namely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the film has encountered delays, with John Wick 4's release being pushed back to 2022. The primary holdup was star Keanu Reeves' commitment to The Matrix 4, which was in the midst of production when Hollywood shut down last year after the pandemic began. But now that The Matrix 4 has wrapped, Reeves can turn his attention to reprising another one of his iconic characters, and he'll be suiting up as the Baba Yaga again very soon.
Per Collider, the plan calls for John Wick 4 to start principal photography this June. The production will apparently span numerous locations: Berlin, Paris, New York, and Japan. Lionsgate initially hoped to film two John Wick sequels consecutively, but now John Wick 4 and John Wick 5 won't film back-to-back.
Barring any further changes to the movie release calendar, John Wick 4 comes out in May 2022. This means director Chad Stahelski and company will have under a year to complete the movie, but it should still be plenty of time. For comparison, John Wick 3 started principal photography in May 2018 (roughly a year before its release) and wrapped in November of that year. Of course, the big difference in this instance is John Wick 4 will be filming in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, which presents a number of challenges. These circumstances likely influenced Lionsgate's decision to shoot the next two John Wick sequels separately. Hopefully John Wick 4 goes off without a hitch, but there's always the possibility production is delayed due to positive COVID-19 tests. Taking things one movie at a time is smart.
With John Wick 4 looking to start filming in a few months, it's likely further details about the project are announced soon. Right now, Reeves is the only confirmed actor, so casting information will likely come out in the near future. Ian McShane is expected to return as Winston, and it wouldn't be surprising to see series veterans Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne reprise Charon and the Bowery King, respectively. But it'll be interesting to see what newcomers join the franchise, either as one of John's allies or a rival assassin tasked with bringing him down. With John Wick's popularity increasing, Stahelski should have no issues rounding out a terrific supporting cast.
Source: Collider
