What started as a small action movie produced for only $20-30 million has turned into one of the biggest franchises in the world 10 years later. Thanks to the brilliance of Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski, John Wick has successfully become the new gold standard for action movies, with each film in the franchise steadily becoming more of a success. John Wick: Chapter 4 premiered in 2023 to rave reviews, earning a 94% score from critics and a 93% rating from general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing more than $440 million at the worldwide box office. Now, more than a year later, director Chad Stahelski is back with a promising update on the next installment in the franchise via a new THR interview, and one that he assures won't undercut the brilliance of John Wick: Chapter 4:

"Sometimes we'll use development as an exercise, but is there an opportunity to do [John Wick 5]? Of course, there is, whether it's for money or for creativity. Jesus, in the last three years, I've already had three or four versions of a John Wick 5. They were different ways to crack the story, but it's almost a mental exercise for me."

Fans can rest easy knowing that we aren't the only ones with John Wick: Chapter 5 occupying our minds. It certainly sounds like it's something that Stahelski thinks about often, and something that he's working with other John Wick creators to bring to the big screen. John Wick seemingly meets his fate at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, but the door is wide open with the potential for more stories. One of which has already been confirmed, in the form of a Donnie Yen-led spin-off focusing around his Chapter 4 character, Caine. The spin-off movie was announced earlier this year and Hot Toys even released a new figure recently to commemorate Yen's Caine. Stahelski also said that John Wick 5 would look much different than what most people think it is, I.E. it would not involve reviving the Baba Yaga and continuing the storyline through Keanu Reeves.

‘John Wick: Chapter 5’ Won’t Be What You Think

Stahelski knows that even if John Wick: Chapter 5 is pursued for financial reasons, that doesn't mean it needs to undo anything in John Wick 5. During the same interview with THR, Stahelski talked about what the fifth film would look like if it makes it to the big screen:

"It would not be part of that [John Wick: Chapter 4] storyline. It would not be what you think it is. As far as [John Wick: Chapter 4], we've peaked. At least, I have. That's my apex. We ended it. It's a complete story. I watch it now, and I feel very happy about it, but we wouldn't try to outdo it. We wouldn't try to add on to that. It'd have to be a completely different storyline."

We may be a little biased here, but this is exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from a creator. There are plenty of potential directions to move in for John Wick 5, but it would be a major mistake to tarnish anything accomplished with the previous four films.

John Wick: Chapter 5 has yet to be officially greenlit, but it is in active development, according to Stahelski. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and watch John Wick: Chapter 4, now streaming on Starz.

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