Director Chad Stahelski is hopeful to make 10 John Wick movies and believe expanding the Keanu Reeves-led franchise would be "awesome." The action franchise revolves around the titular former assassin who finds himself drawn back into his criminal underworld when a group of Russian gangsters kill the beagle puppy his late wife gave him, putting him on a path for revenge. With Wick's name now revived in the assassin world, the subsequent John Wick films find him pulled further back in by forces he hoped to leave behind.
Created by writer Derek Kolstad and primarily directed by Stahelski, the John Wick franchise has proven to be a mammoth success since launching in 2014, scoring critical acclaim for its fast-paced action, expert choreography and Reeves' central performance. The films have also been box office successes across its three films, grossing a collective $587 million worldwide against its combined $145 million production budget. Even as it continues to inspire a variety of similar titles, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Kate and Bob Odenkirk's Nobody, the John Wick franchise continues to grow with sequels and spinoffs and one creative isn't ready for it to end anytime soon.
While appearing at CinemaCon to debut the film's first footage, director Chad Stahelski spoke with Collider to discuss the John Wick franchise. When asked about both his future and the future of the series, the filmmaker addressed the variety of projects in development as likely to be up next on his docket, but that he won't say no to more Keanu action and that it would be "awesome" to make 10 John Wick movies. See what Stahelski said below:
"Right now we're just seeing the finish line, so we're trying to get through this one, and if it expands out from there, always happy to talk about it. [10 John Wick movies] would be awesome. But sometimes, I think it's really good to do a Wick, then go learn and experiment on others and bring that knowledge back to Wick. So it could be good to take a little break, as I see it."
Despite three titles already under its belt, audiences continue to remain eager as ever for more John Wick action and the producers behind the series are just as hopeful for it to continue. Despite languishing in development hell for five years, the TV spinoff The Continental is finally gaining steam at Starz with Mel Gibson leading the prequel series alongside Colin Woodell as a young incarnation of Ian McShane's Winston, with the story set in the '70s and explore the American Mafia's rise to economic power. Similarly, the Ballerina spinoff movie has finally gained ground in recent years with Ana de Armas signing on to star in the Len Wiseman-helmed effort, with production now confirmed to begin this summer.
Stahelski isn't the only one who has expressed an interest in keeping the mainline John Wick franchise alive as Keanu Reeves has frequently confirmed his willingness to keep playing the role as long as the movies continue to be successful and the material is worthy of the character. Though Lionsgate scrapped plans for back-to-back filming of John Wick: Chapter 4 and 5, it seems likely the studio will still elect to move forward with another film when the next installment hits theaters, putting Stahelski halfway towards his 10 movie goal. John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to hit theaters on March 24, 2023.
Source: Collider
