John Wick 5 could have moved a step closer thanks to the huge opening weekend box office of John Wick: Chapter 4 last week. While there were originally plans for a fifth John Wick movie to film back to back with the latest release, that didn’t happen for a number of reasons but now it could seemingly be a very real prospect that we will see Keanu Reeves back again as the popular assassin.
Just prior to the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves and director Chad Stahelski both refrained from getting drawn into whether there would still be a fifth outing for the character. In a previous interview, Stahelski said:
“In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment. We’re going to give John Wick a rest.”
However, the franchise best box office seems to have spurred on discussions about another John Wick movie, with Lionsgate chair Joe Drake recently telling The Hollywood Reporter:
“There’s a will and there’s an openness. And you could certainly interpret that ending in different ways. 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. But there’s no guarantee.”
It seems that while there is still no certainty of Reeves returning as the lead of a John Wick movie, the “rest” taken between now and discussions really getting underway about another sequel seems to have become a much shorter one than the several months Stahelski referred to earlier this month.
John Wick: Chapter 4 Has Blown Away Box Office Expectations
There was always a good chance that John Wick: Chapter 4 was going to deliver the goods when it hit the box office and it certainly hasn’t disappointed. After posting the highest reviews of the franchise, the movie opened to a franchise best debut weekend of just under $140 million worldwide.
Despite the movies having taken almost a decade to make, the timeline of the films is much shorter than that, as director Stahelski recently revealed. He said:
“Well, we figured the first three movies almost happened in like a week, week and a half, somewhere in there. That's my version, I think Keanu’s is a little different, and I think this is like six months later. So within a year, I think it all happens. I would say almost within 7 to 8 months.”
Where exactly John Wick 5 could go is unclear, and that is perhaps what Stahelski and Reeves need to decide on before working whether to continue with the series or end it on a high. As it is, there is still more to come from the larger John Wick universe, with spin-off movie Ballerina and event series The Continental both coming soon to expand the franchise beyond the main narrative.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is playing now in cinemas.