MOVIE NEWS – The longer version of John Wick 4 ran for almost 4 hours, receiving harsh criticism from producer Erica Lee, who defends the 3-hour running time.

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS related to John Wick: Chapter 4! John Wick: Chapter 4 producer Erica Lee said that the original, longer version wasn’t very good. Franchise star Keanu Reeves returns in the title role in the fourth installment, directed by Chad Stahelski. John Wick: Chapter 4 features the series’ biggest and most impressive action sequences to date, with John taking down more enemies than ever before. The length of the film is 169 minutes, which is almost three hours. However, it turns out that John Wick: Chapter 4 also had a longer version that lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Speaking to Collider, Lee explained that the longer version of John Wick: Chapter 4 “wasn’t good.” According to the producer, some parts of the almost 4-hour version were boring, which made it not worth watching. Lee had this to say about the longer version:

“There weren’t really any big changes. We shot a lot, but the movie was almost 3 hours long. Some parts of the 3:45 version were rough and boring and… Well, it wasn’t good [laughs]. Nothing was missing .”

More John Wick movies to come: Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves star in John Wick spinoff Ballerina. After the conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 4, the future of the titular killer may be in question. Stahelski and Reeves said they wanted to spend some time with the character while Lionsgate was happy with the revenue of the fourth installment and hoped for a fifth film. However, whether Reeves returns to the franchise or not, the spinoffs will keep the world alive.

The Continental is a limited prequel series that will explore the origins of the unique underworld hotel played by Winston, the manager played by Ian McShane. Colin Woodell will play the character of the younger Winston, the series takes place in the 1970s. The Continental consists of three 90-minute episodes, which are expected to premiere on Peacock later this year.

The John Wick franchise continues to expand with the spinoff Ballerina, which will be released in 2024. In the film, Ana de Armas plays a female assassin who wants to take revenge for the murder of her family. Reeves will reportedly be cast in the film, with McShane reprising his role as Winston and the late Lance Reddick as Charon. Ballerina also stars Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne and Norman Reedus, and is directed by Len Wisman, who also wrote Underworld and Live Free or Die Hard. So, while John Wick: Chapter 4 may have been cut shorter, the franchise will continue to expand even without Reeves’ return.

Source: Collider