Though John Wick: Chapter 4 appeared to bring Keanu Reeves’ bullet-drenched journey to a definitive close — complete with a solemn grave and more than a few cinematic farewells — the assassin in the tailored suit isn’t quite done yet. John Wick 5 is officially in the works, and according to director Chad Stahelski, it won’t be business as usual.
"The saga of John Wick was pretty wrapped up," Stahelski told Empire. "So the only way to do a 5 is to have a new story that involves John Wick. It’s not a continuation, with the High Table." With that, he teases a film that shifts the franchise away from the deep lore of its clandestine crime council and towards something wholly unexpected. "It will be really different," he says, hinting that when fans see the first trailer, their reaction will be, in his words: "Holy ***... I gotta see that."
Before we get to Chapter 5, however, the Wick-iverse continues to expand in every direction. Ballerina — a spin-off starring Ana de Armas — arrives soon, featuring an appearance from Reeves’ Wick, and a film centred on Donnie Yen’s character Caine is also in development. In addition, an animated prequel and the TV series Under the High Table are designed to explore Wick’s origins and the shifting power structures of this assassin-filled world.
Animation and show will lay crucial groundwork for where the next film takes Wick. "Our idea is to try some things and explore some threads," Stahelski explains, "and use those two properties to catapult us forward into the ideas for John 5."
