‘John Wick 5’ Could Be A Long Way Off: Keanu And Stahelski “Done For The Moment”

We’re just a few days away from the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, and by early accounts it looks like the best of them all. Each film has been a huge hit at the box office, steadily growing in numbers and introducing Keanu Reeves into a new generation of fans. And, of course, Lionsgate doesn’t want to see any of this end. However, Reeves and franchise creator Chad Stahelski are hesitant about jumping into John Wick 5.

Stahelski spoke with THR, and while he recognizes the studio’s interest for more, he says he and Reeves are “done” with John Wick for the time being…

“In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment. We’re going to give ‘John Wick’ a rest,” explained Stahelski. “I’m sure the studio has a plan. If everyone loves it and it goes kooky, then we’ll take a quiet minute. ‘Wicks’ always, for some weird reason, always get the latest release date in Japan. It’s always like, three months later. If it’s the same this time, we’ll do a Japanese tour and release the movie in September. Keanu and I will take the long trip to Tokyo, we’ll sit in the Imperial Hotel Scotch Bar and go, ‘What do you think?’ We’ll have a couple 20-year-old whiskies and write some ideas on napkins. If those ideas stick, maybe we’ll make a movie.”

So, he leaves room for the film to do absolutely bonkers numbers and that might change the plan, but it looks like we’ll be waiting a while for John Wick 5 to arrive. IF it arrives. The franchise has grown, with a Ballerina spinoff movie and The Continental TV series, so maybe time will be spent building on those.

John Wick: Chapter 4 opens March 24th.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.