The upcoming action movie sequel, John Wick: Chapter 4, will see the put-upon suffer even more than ever before. Which, according to director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves, is very, very intentional. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski explained how they begin with thinking up ways that Wick will suffer and then work backward, thus creating the exciting action sequences that have wowed audiences since the franchise started back in 2014.

“We keep finding new and interesting ways to have John Wick suffer. That’s where the action comes from. Figure out how to make him suffer, and then design backward.”

Poor, poor Mr. Wick. But it's not just Chad Stahelski conjuring different ways in which to test and torture the assassin, a lot of the ideas come from Keanu Reeves too. And, according to Stahelski, sometimes the actor’s suggestions are too much even for him. Some even require a cooling-off period.

“I’ve called out a couple of things, like, let’s get on a horse in the desert. Let’s drive a little bit.”

While little is yet known about the direction of John Wick: Chapter 4, a preview of the sequel at the recent CinemaCon event did offer some clues — as well as footage of Reeves’ titular character wielding his new favorite weapon: nunchucks. The footage from CinemaCon begins with Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King asking, "Are you ready, John?" with the hitman replying, "Yeah. I'm going to kill them all."

We are then treated to clips of Wick training and slaying his enemies, before taking down two bad guys, "brutalizing them with nunchucks in a relentless, face-busting, merry-go-round motion." They never should have murdered his dog.

John Wick: Chapter 4 Will Act as a Conclusion

john-wick
Lionsgate

While it is expected that the saga of John Wick will continue beyond the upcoming fourth outing, Stahelski did reveal that they prefer to approach each movie in turn without overthinking about what comes next. “We do it chapter by chapter,” he explained. “Just like an author; write the chapter, scratch head, write next chapter.”

Stahelski has even suggested that John Wick: Chapter 4 will act as something of a conclusion. For now, at least. "I think Chapter 4 is a good continuation of all three previous films, and it's got a bit of a conclusion to it, which is great,” the filmmaker and former stuntman said previously. “We introduce a ton of new characters that have a lot to say about John Wick from his past and from, obviously, present. I think it's brotherhood, it's hope. It's what the life would really be like as a bit of an existential crisis with John, and I think that's the fun part of the movie."

Directed by Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 4 sees Keanu Reeves reprise the title role alongside Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick. The action sequel will introduce the likes of Donnie Yen, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, and Clancy Brown to the fray.

Distributed by Lionsgate, John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to be theatrically released in the United States on March 24, 2023.