Director Chad Stahelski recently spoke about the future of the John Wick franchise, touching on progress for John Wick 5, the upcoming Caine spin-off, and how Keanu Reeves factors into it all. Stahelski shared his thoughts with The Hollywood Reporter, revealing the challenges and excitement surrounding the next chapter.
John Wick 5: A Tough Puzzle
When asked about the direction for John Wick 5 following the death of the character in the fourth movie, Stahelski admitted that it’s been difficult to develop a satisfying storyline. Despite the challenges, he and writer Mike Finch have a story they feel good about, but the real test is making sure it works for both the studio and the fans.
“It’s a bit of a conundrum,” Stahelski confessed. “Me and Mike Finch — the writer on 4 who’s also writing 5 — we’ve got a pretty good story that I think is cool. Once we have a 50-page book, and if we’re feeling it, we’ll sit with Keanu and shape this thing. Everybody seems to want it. It’s a matter of whether we crack it. We’re actively working on it. It’s just… is it going to be satisfying?”
Studio’s Strong Support for John Wick 5
Although Stahelski seems apprehensive about moving forward with a fifth film, he emphasized the studio’s strong desire to make it happen. While Stahelski and Finch continue to work on ideas, they are also open to exploring other possibilities if they don’t feel confident in the direction.
“The studio would very much will it into existence, I’m sure, at some point. They’ve been great and they’ve asked us to really try, and we have a really good couple of ideas and we’re going to try,” Stahelski said. “If we decide it’s not right, we’ll probably stumble upon other story ideas along the way.”
Wick’s Absence in the Caine Spin-off
Regarding the planned Caine spin-off, Stahelski confirmed that John Wick will not appear in the movie. Instead, the focus will be on Donnie Yen’s character and the film’s connection to kung fu cinema.
Stahelski explained, “The Donnie Yen spinoff doesn’t have the John Wick character. It’s got Donnie Yen and it’s an ode to kung fu movies. If John Wick 1 was about Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin, this is about Chow Yun-fat, John Woo, and Wong Kar-wai. So, it’s a little easier to get it across to audiences because it’s in a sub-genre of what we love.”
