It's official, Ian McShane will be back as Winston in John Wick 4. In all three prior installments of the hit action movie series, McShane was featured as Winston alongside Keanu Reeves as the titular vigilante. It had been expected that he would return in the fourth movie, and Deadline reported on Thursday that the actor has just closed his deal to reprise his role in the upcoming sequel.

"I couldn't be happier than to welcome Ian McShane back to John Wick: Chapter 4. He is not only an amazing actor but is an indispensable collaborator who has helped define the world of John Wick," director Chad Stahelski said in a statement.

Recently, it was reported that Lance Reddick had also signed on to return in the next movie. Like Ian McShane, Reddick appeared in the first three John Wick movies as well. A slew of newcomers to the franchise have also joined the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4. Officially confirmed names include Donnie Yen, Rina Sawayama, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Shamier Anderson. It's been reported that Marko Zaror is in talks to play one of the main villains.

Stahelski, who helmed all three prior movies, is back to direct John Wick: Chapter 4. Creator Derek Kolstad, who served as a screenwriter for the franchise up until now, was not involved with the fourth installment. Shay Hatten and Michael Finch wrote the new movie's screenplay. Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, and Stahelski are producing with Keanu Reeves and Louise Rosner executive producing.

A veteran actor, Ian McShane might be best known for his role as Al Swearengen in the HBO Western series Deadwood. His role earned him an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a TV Series Drama. Along with John Wick, he has appeared in many movies over the years, including The Wild and the Willing, Villain, Hot Rod, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. More recently, he reprised his Deadwood role for a continuation movie in 2019 and starred as Mr. Wednesday on American Gods.

At the start of the year, McShane addressed the future of John Wick in an interview with Collider. Though he wasn't officially confirmed for the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4, he had been kept updated on its progress by Keanu Reeves. At the time, it wasn't clear when the fourth movie would start filming, though McShane said the plan was for production to begin sometime this year. His comments turned out to be right on the money.

"Keanu and I exchanged New Year's greetings and said, 'Hope to see you this year,'" McShane explained. "I know the script is being written and they're hoping to do it this year. I know they announced they were gonna do [John Wick 4] and [John Wick 5] together, but who knows. The studios announce all sorts of things. No doubt, at some point this year, we're gonna do John Wick 4."

John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to be released by Lionsgate on May 27, 2022. The sequel is currently in production with additional shooting scheduled for this summer in France, Germany, and Japan. This news comes to us from Deadline.