He’s fought ninjas, Russian mobsters, motorcycle gangs, and even staged a fight scene utilizing horses. It’s hard to imagine where director Chad Stahelski will be able to take Mr. John Wick in another film. But according to Lionsgate, he’s going to give it a shot.
After the massive box office debut of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” the studio was quick to announce that Keanu Reeves’ badass assassin was going to make a return to cinemas in two years time. That’s right, the John Wick franchise lives on.
Lionsgate said in the announcement (via Variety): “You have served. You will be of service. John Wick: Chapter 4 is coming – May 21, 2021.”
This is far from a shocking development. No spoilers, but the end of ‘Parabellum’ clearly sets up the potential for a fourth film, and Reeves and Stahelski have gone on record multiple times saying they’d return to the franchise as long as the studio would have them. Well, when your film has a relatively modest $50 million budget and earns more than $92 million worldwide in your opening weekend, you better believe that studios will throw money your way for more.
However, the question remains as to where the franchise goes from here. ‘Chapter 2’ ended on a cliffhanger, with Wick on the run from pretty much every assassin in New York City. You don’t need to be an astute film aficionado to know where ‘Chapter 3’ picks up. Even though ‘Chapter 3’ ends with potential for more films, there’s no clear direction. This opens up Stahelski and Reeves to explore even more of the elaborate criminal underground that has been set up in the first three films.
Also, if you’ve seen ‘Chapter 3,’ you know that the director and star threw just about every fighting scenario possible in the film. Knives, guns, swords, horses, motorcycles, dogs, cars, and even a book were used to kill people. We shudder to think what tricks the filmmaker has up his sleeve for a fourth film.
‘John Wick 3’ is in theaters now, and “John Wick: Chapter 4” will be coming your way May 21, 2021.