A fifth film in the hit franchise was confirmed to be in development, but what do we really know about Keanu Reeves’ next outing as John Wick?

When it comes to John Wick, audiences always assume he’ll be back. That’s not just something the 21st Century’s most successful action hero likes to say; he’s proven it accurate time after time. That is, at least, until John Wick: Chapter 4 ended with the titular hero’s fate seemingly decided for good.

Since the credits first rolled on John Wick: Chapter 4, fans have refused to accept that John Wick’s life is over. Instead, they’ve been holding their collective breaths, feverishly hoping for the dog-loving hitman to announce his return to the living in John Wick: Chapter 5. Will John Wick ride again? Here’s everything to know about the potential fifth film in the John Wick universe.

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The only group of people that might want John Wick: Chapter 5 to happen more than its fans are the executives who run Lionsgate. After all, despite its incredibly long runtime, John Wick: Chapter 4 became the highest-grossing entry of the franchise when it collected over $426 Million worldwide. No wonder Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake remarked earlier this year: “We’re not ready to say goodbye to Keanu with this franchise.”

The often-forgotten truth is that John Wick: Chapter 5 was initially supposed to shoot back-to-back with Chapter 4. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis and a grueling production schedule ended that idea prematurely. Following the completion of Chapter 4, director Chad Stahelski noted that he and Keanu Reeves were likely “done for the moment.” Then, Chapter 4 became a runaway hit at the box office, and suddenly, Stahelski’s stance on a potential sequel softened. He told SyFy: “If a gun was put to my head and they said you have to make three more John Wick movies, could we sustain it with action set pieces and storyline threads, and could we put in some tributes or love letter Easter eggs for things? Yeah, we could totally do that.”

The real question for both Stahelski and Reeves was: Why make a fifth film? Before every John Wick film is shot, Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski meet at the Imperium Hotel in Japan and drink whisky together until they figure out the next story arc for their enigmatic hero. Whether or not John Wick lived or died was decided by the ideas that emerged from these sessions. And guess what? Producer Basil Iwanyk has promised that Keanu and Chad will reconnect soon over a few glasses of Yamazaki in Japan.

What Would John Wick: Chapter 5 Be About?

The most significant sticking point regarding John Wick: Chapter 5 is what it could be about. After all, John Wick seemingly died at the end of the previous entry. Director Chad Stahelski has a few ideas about action-packed set pieces swimming around in his head, but the story has yet to present itself to him.

Speaking with Empire in the Summer of 2023, he told them: “I don’t have a take right now. But I could wake up tomorrow and have a cool idea that I’d pitch to Keanu, or he would pitch to me, and it might hit that chord of, ‘Oh my God, we got to do this right now.'”

John Wick’s storytellers have a handful of options they could pursue regarding narrative choices. For instance, they could go the prequel route to focus on John Wick’s past and how he earned his nickname Baba Yaga. Then again, why look to the past when there’s already an entire television series called The Continental exploring the franchise’s roots?

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Another possibility would be to fill in the gaps between chapters by creating new stories between the events of the first four films. This is reportedly a similar strategy that the Ballerina spin-off film will be employing, so it’s also unlikely to be used here.

That only leaves two options: a franchise reboot or to bring John Wick back from the dead. A soft reboot that moves away from the Continental, High Table, and John Wick could be exciting but is also a substantial financial risk. The safest bet is a return to what’s guaranteed to work, and that’s Keanu Reeves.

Wick’s victory at the end of the fourth film didn’t destroy The High Table, which means that Wick’s vengeance still needs to be fully completed. Moreover, despite his apparent demise, the movie never showed Wick die and even boasted an alternate ending. So, John Wick: Chapter 5 could prove that the rumors regarding John Wick’s demise were greatly exaggerated before he finally abolishes the High Table once and for all.

Would Keanu Reeves Return as John Wick?

Keanu Reeves’s Action Filmography

It wouldn’t be much of a John Wick film without John Wick, but no matter how convincing he might be, Keanu Reeves isn’t exactly a spring chicken anymore. Would fans be willing to buy into the idea of a 60-plus-year-old John Wick still kicking butt? If box office returns are anything to go by, it’s safe to say that the answer is still yes. Moreover, Keanu might be warming up to the idea himself.

While being interviewed on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, director Chad Stahelski said: If you asked [Keanu] right now, ‘Would you do John Wick 5?’ he’d be [like] ‘F*** yeah!’ But then he’d look and go, ‘Well, what is it? I have no f**in’ idea.’ … It’s not like we’re gonna figure it out today.”

In other words, it all comes down to finding the right story. The moment that happens, it’s entirely likely that Keanu will sign on for the next Chapter.

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Another question that must be asked is whether or not Chad Stahelski would be willing to return to the director’s chair. Then again, being willing might not have anything to do with it. Stahelski already has three massive feature films in various stages of development: Rainbow Six, a remake of Highlander, and an adaptation of The Ghost of Tsushima. A jampacked schedule like that suggests Chad might have to consider handing off the John Wick directorial duties to a filmmaker who presents him with an irrefutable pitch.

That may open a door for the return of the original co-director, David Leitch, who’s directed recent action hits like Hobbs & Shaw, Atomic Blonde, and Bullet Train. Or Justin Lin could breathe new life into the action franchise like he already did with The Fast and the Furious. It’s also been far too long since Gareth Evans directed an action film, and a return to the hard-hitting action of The Raid would combine magnificently with the John Wick aesthetic.

However, don’t be surprised if Chad decides to return once again. In October 2023, he told Inverse: “I have notebooks and notebooks of sh*t behind me, John Wicks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. We have ideas for days. We just don’t have the story locked.” When Chad finds the right story, it’s practically guaranteed that both he and Keanu will return in at least some capacity.

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Were John Wick: Chapter 5 to be officially announced anytime soon, Ian McShane would likely return as the Continental owner, Winston, especially with so much real estate relegated to developing Winston’s past on Amazon’s The Continental. Since Laurence Fishburne has been a part of practically every John Wick since Chapter 2, he’d almost assuredly be back. Unfortunately, following his untimely passing, the one actor who won’t be returning is Lance Reddick, especially considering his character of Charon was also killed off. At least fans will see Reddick one final time as Winston’s faithful concierge in the upcoming spin-off Ballerina.

It’s hard to say who might return for Chapter 5 outside those key characters. Donnie Yen could conceivably return as Wick’s old friend, Caine, and audiences could find out if he survives the assassination attempt teased in Chapter 4’s post-credit scene. Shamier Anderson’s mysterious tracker, Mr. Nobody, could also return. Ana de Armas’s ballerina, Rooney, could jump from her film to Chapter 5 should she prove popular enough and survive her first adventure.

What’s Next in the John Wick Universe?

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Speaking of Ana de Armas, the feature-length film Ballerina, directed by Underworld vet Len Wiseman, is set to hit the big screen on July 7, 2024. Centered around a member of the Ruska Roma crime family that was introduced in Chapter 3, the film will also star Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. In addition, Ian McShane and even Keanu Reeves are set to make extended appearances in the film, the narrative of which takes place between Chapters 3 and 4.

For die-hard fans of the franchise, Ballerina is going to have to hold them over until at least 2025 because there’s simply no way Chapter 5 could see release before then. Considering it hasn’t officially been announced yet, 2026 looks even more likely. The only official thing about John Wick: Chapter 5 is that it’s in development.

During an earnings call in November 2023, the Chairman of Lionsgate’s motion picture group, Joe Drake, said: “On the Wick side, we got multiple spin-offs and Wick Five. We started to work on [it] right when the writer’s strike started, and we’ve gotten back to work as soon as it ended.”

Reading between the lines of that announcement, it’s pretty clear that it’s only a matter of time until fans once again hear Keanu Reeves utter the infamous line: “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.”