Chapter 5 Is Still A Possibility, But The Plot Is A Mystery

Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for John Wick: Chapter 4!

Though Chad Stahelski may not be done with the franchise, he admits that John Wick 5‘s potential plot is a mystery to him at this time. Keanu Reeves’ eponymous assassin finally found a path to freedom from the High Table in John Wick: Chapter 4 by taking out the villainous Marquis de Gramont, though at the cost of his own life, with Winston having him buried next to his late wife. This came as quite the shock for audiences, especially considering John Wick 5 was originally set to be filmed back-to-back.

In honor of the new film’s release, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Stahelski to break down John Wick: Chapter 4 and the franchise’s potential future. When asked about the previously announced John Wick 5 after the hero’s seeming death, the director confirmed that another sequel is still a possibility, but admits the plot is still a mystery to him. See what Stahelski explained below:

I’m super grateful for that opportunity, and if it does come to fruition sometime in the future… I don’t know what John Wick 5 is right now. I may have thoughts, ideas, and fragments of stuff, but I think I need a little time to breathe and see how this one does. All I see when I watch are my mistakes and shortcomings. “I should have been a better director. I should have been better here.” I just need time to process that, grow creatively, and work my craft in probably some other fields. [Then] I’ll take what I learned and maybe make something better than I’ve already done. My biggest goal is that [hopefully] you love them all, but that hopefully you see the evolution. That the crew and I, my stunt team and Keanu, learn something. We tried to not make the same mistakes, we tried to get a little better, and we tried to expand in ways that are interesting.

Should John Wick 5 Happen?

Stahelski similarly indicated that a John Wick 5 was still possible in spite of the character’s death at the end of the film, and that neither he nor Reeves would turn down a possible return in the future. Reeves has noted, however, that he would only come back for another John Wick if the story proved worthwhile, and if Stahelski was back in the director’s chair.

While some audiences may feel disappointed at Wick’s fate in the newest film, the question remains whether a John Wick 5 should happen. Much like Logan before it, John Wick: Chapter 4 found a poignant way to close out its hero’s story while also establishing a future for the franchise outside of its lead. The newest sequel further expanded the world of the John Wick series, namely setting up a tense confrontation between Donnie Yen’s Caine and Rina Sawayama’s Akira, in spite of the former’s redemption in the final act.

Related: John Wick 4 Post-Credits Scene ExplainedLionsgate has also frequently expressed interest to keep the franchise going, with producer Erica Lee recently revealing a secret John Wick movie is in the works while also sharing hopes to produce both a John Wick: Chapter 5 and Ballerina 2. With the prequel show The Continental also being touted as introducing new mysteries while answering others from the franchise, there may be further life yet from the action universe, even without Reeves’ iconic assassin at the forefront.