[This post contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4]
If the John Wick movies ended the same way as another action franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4 would have concluded with, “John Wick will be back…?”
Following a duel in Paris (A Duel in Paris kind of sounds like the name of a mid-tier Bond film, or the worst Woody Allen movie), John Wick is killed and buried under a “loving husband” tombstone next to his late wife. Or was he?!? I mean, yeah, he’s probably dead, but there are ways for John Wick 5 to happen.
“There’s a will and there’s an openness. And you could certainly interpret that ending in different ways,” Lionsgate motion picture group chair Joe Drake told the Hollywood Reporter. “We’re all going to take a tiny rest here and then scratch at ideas about whether there’s a credible way to get into five.”
He added, “But there’s no guarantee.”
John Wick 5 is only under consideration because John Wick: Chapter 4 had a franchise-best $73.8 million opening weekend at the domestic box office and made a massive $141.4 million worldwide; it’s the second best opening of Keanu Reeves’ career, behind only The Matrix Reloaded. (If you include his voice acting work, Toy Story 4 made more, which I only bring up to remind you that he played a Canadian daredevil named Duke Caboom.)
“Keanu and [director Chad Stahelski], rightly so, are very protective about never screwing with the audience. So we certainly have our work cut out for us,” Drake said. “Keanu is so beloved and that character is so beloved; that’s not lost on him.” If Keanu feels like John Wick’s story has been wrapped up in a neat little package, he could — and should — hand the franchise over to Rina Sawayama.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)