MOVIE NEWS – Director Chad Stahelski revealed that the alternate ending of John Wick 4 was more mysterious regarding the fate of one of the key characters. Attention! SPOILERS to the story and ending of the film!
While viewers were barely getting over the emotional finale, director Chad Stahelski revealed that the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 was almost more mysterious. Keanu Reeves’ titular assassin finally challenged Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis de Gramont to a duel, only to be confronted by his old friend Caine. After Wick was shot three times, he outsmarted the Marquis. But he collapses on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur. It seems he is buried with his wife Helen in New York.
The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with Chad Stahelski to give spoiler-filled details about the recently released John Wick: Chapter 4.
While revealing the film’s shocking ending, the director told that the team was filming an alternate ending. But after test screenings, he and Reeves decided to keep the original plan. They felt it was more emotional.
Although Stahelski doesn’t confirm it explicitly, his discussion of the ending of John Wick 4 seems to suggest that in this version, Reeves’ iconic character would presumably have survived. This would have seemed an understandable solution. The four films in the John Wick franchise have been incredibly successful. Moreover, John Wick 5 was initially planned to be shot at the same time as the fourth instalment. This was ultimately scrapped due to Stahelski’s creative reluctance. However, the whole samurai ethos surrounding the film – which, according to the director and the main character, was inspired by Hagakure, the manual of the way of the samurai – was much better suited to such a dramatic ending.
Despite having shelved those plans, Stahelski recently hinted that John Wick 5 could potentially move forward in the future if he and Reeves can come up with a good story for the character’s return. With John Wick: Chapter 4 already breaking records at the franchise’s box office and receiving some of the best reviews to date, it seems unlikely that Lionsgate will want to let the film rest forever.
After John Wick 4, would Keanu still do a 5th part?!
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Reeves revealed that he would be willing to return for a John Wick 5. But only if franchise director Chad Stahelski is involved. He said that while he is open to returning to the role of Baba Yaga, he hopes John Wick 4 will offer a definitive ending for the character.
“I don’t know, I guess I’m going to have to lean on never say never. I mean, I wouldn’t do a John Wick film without Chad Stahelski. We’d have to see what that looked like. For me, it feels really right that John Wick finds peace.”
While Reeves confirmed that he would be open to returning as John Wick as long as Stahelski is involved, the finality of John Wick: Chapter 4’s conclusion would make it difficult for him to do so. Winston and the Bowery King stand over John’s grave at the film’s end. The latter talks about where he is now spiritually. Their conversation suggests that John is indeed dead. After his duel with Caine, he has found peace in both his life and death.
However, since viewers have not seen John’s body, there is still the possibility that he survived his wounds and is hiding for his safety or has assumed a new identity.
Winston’s dialogue in the film’s final scene could be interpreted as John being alive somewhere. And the gravestone is just a ruse to stop anyone trying to find and kill him. If this is the case, John Wick 5 could confirm this by having something else happen to bring John out of hiding again.
Whether John is alive or dead, however, John Wick: 4 brings his story to a close. He learns to accept the possibility of death in order to be free. If it turned out that John is alive and jumps back into action in another film, it might cheapen the thematic elements of the latest instalment. However, if Reeves and Stahelski were to return, John Wick 5 would probably justify its own existence. While bringing plenty of familiar action sequences that the franchise is best known for.
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