MOVIE NEWS – Chad Stahelski, director of the John Wick series, has added more details to his earlier statements about how he and Keanu Reeves see the future of the franchise after the fourth installment.

Series director Chad Stahelski has further lifted the veil on the possibilities for John Wick 5 and the future of the franchise with Keanu Reeves. After three successful episodes, Reeves is back as the titular assassin in the fourth installment, which debuted at the beginning of the series. However, with the conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 4 seemingly bringing an end to the character, it was questionable whether the main storyline would continue beyond the planned side branches.

Now, in an interview with Inverse, Stahelski has revealed how he and Reeves stand on the possibility of John Wick 5, and confirmed that it’s still on the table. However, there are a number of factors that could influence when it will happen. Check out Stahelski’s full statement below:

“We’ve got a lot of ideas, John Wick 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. We could be brainstorming for days. We just don’t have the story wrapped up. Money is not our motivation to bring John Wick back. Do I love the character? Of course I love him. And if we could make a few more John Wick movies, that would be great. Keanu would be in it in a heartbeat if we had a good story. We’ll leave that open. I know the studio would be happy if we said we have another one.

“Keanu and I have always been interested in that, but we’re leaving it a little bit open to see if there’s something we’d like to see. On the other hand, we have a studio that’s very enthusiastic, not just for financial reasons, but they’re just interested in what we could do with it. So, they’ve been very good to us this year about the extension.”

“I know that the term ‘spin-off’ or ‘spin-off’ or whatever you want to call it always comes up. Keanu and I went back and said, ‘Look, we have ideas for the John Wick world, for other characters that aren’t John Wick-centric. Would you guys be interested in those things? And they were very positive and said, ‘Yes, we’d be very interested. Characters who haven’t been in any of the films, who have been relegated to the background because they just didn’t fit into our story, and some existing characters , who we would love to see in other situations.”

Will Keanu Reeves return in John Wick 5?

John Wick 5 won’t be made if Stahelski and Reeves don’t come up with a strong enough story, and the question arises as to whether Reeves should even return for a fifth film. After literally liquidating more than 400 people over the course of four films, the assassin seems to have found peace in death during the conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 4.

The franchise’s previous instalments have often been about the consequences of actions, and the fourth instalment explores this theme, highlighting the need to live a meaningful life in order to achieve a meaningful death. In fact, both Stahelski and Reeves have spoken openly about the fact that giving Wick a meaningful death was one of the main driving forces behind the latest episode. Although the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 certainly leaves open the possibility that Wick didn’t actually die, the film serves as a fitting conclusion to the saga, and it bids farewell to Reeves’ character not with a lame, cheesy scene, but with an epic death.

While it can certainly be argued that Reeves’ character should not return, it is also worth noting that each film in the franchise has been better than the last. It’s clear that Stahelski and Reeves have come up with something special, and the trend so far suggests that the upcoming John Wick 5 may be the best of the bunch. It remains to be seen whether the pair will reunite for another instalment, but the somewhat muted reception to the spinoff series The Continental suggests that the franchise is at its best when Stahelski and Reeves are involved.

Source: Inverse