Keanu Reeves is back as our favorite master killer in John Wick: Chapter 4.
The film won’t hit theaters until March 2023, but that hasn’t stopped Keanu Reeves from stopping by Comic-Con to pitch a sneak peek teaser for John Wick Chapter 4, simply titled John Wick (which, given the which might be confusing). also the title of the original film that started the entire franchise). According to Deadline Hollywood, Reeves crashed the Collider’s Directors on Directing panel, which included John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski as a panelist.
(Spoilers for the first three films in the franchise below.)
As I wrote earlier for those who missed the first three films, John Wick (Reeves) is a legendary hitman (known as the Boogeyman or “Baba Yaga”) who tried to retire when he fell in love and got married. Unfortunately, after the death of his wife, he is drawn back into the dark underground world by an act of senseless violence. Nothing will stop John Wick from seeking revenge. The first John Wick grossed more than $88 million worldwide for a film that cost around $30 million to make, and it was praised for its brisk pace, stunning action sequences and stylish noir feel.
So of course there was a sequel. In John Wick: Chapter 2, Wick takes on a slew of Russian villains, but feels bound by honor (according to the code of the professional assassin) to accept one last assignment. Of course he succeeds – he’s John Wick – but the client, Italian crime boss Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), tries to cover his tracks by placing a bounty on Wick’s head. Wick eventually kills Santino – who has been newly appointed to the High Table – at the Continental Hotel in New York, which is said to be a safe haven for assassins, and is declared “excommunicated”, cutting him off from any resources the killer normally has underground has offers.
And that’s where John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum came in, with Wick scrambling to find allies (and ammunition) to fend off pretty much the entire underworld of assassins, all of whom were eager to get the $14 million bounty on his to ask for a head. The title refers to the old adage Si vis pacem, para bellum: “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Wick has essentially declared war on the high table, and the escalation went exactly as you did would expect when everyone’s favorite killer who loves dogs is involved.
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John trains hard for the upcoming mega fight.
YouTube/Lionsgate
Ian McShane is back as the treacherous Winston.
YouTube/Lionsgate
So is Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York
YouTube/Lionsgate
There are also some new faces.
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“Are you ready, John?” Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King is a rare ally.
YouTube/Lionsgate
Parabellum ended with one final twist that John Wick neatly lined up: Chapter 4. John negotiated a deal with the Elder to forgive his many transgressions against the High Table in exchange for Winston (Ian McShane), the NYC’s manager Continental Hotel, where Wick killed Santino. That’s because Winston had refused the order to relinquish his position as punishment for supporting John. But when the time came, John refused to complete the mission.
So the High Table sent in their army of assassins, Winston provided the firepower, and John pretty much killed all of them. In the subsequent hearing with the Adjuticator, Winston declared allegiance to the High Table and shot John, who fell from the roof to the ground. He survived and was rescued by the badly wounded Bowery King’s (Laurence Fishburne) servants, and the two vowed to work together to exact their revenge.
The big question is whether Winston’s betrayal was a calculated move. Did he really want to kill John? Stahelski told Digital Spy in 2020 that this is open to interpretation, but in any case we’ll definitely see some episodes of Winston’s choice in Chapter 4. After killing over 300 people (so far), John might survive, but he won’t ride into the sunset with a new love interest. “In the end, there is no happy ending,” he said. “He has nowhere to go.”
The four principles return for this installment: Reeves, McShane, Fishburne and Lance Reddick as Charon, the NYC Continental’s urban concierge. Among the new characters is Akira, played by Japanese singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama in her feature film debut. She was cast after Stahelski saw her combine dance and martial arts in some of her music videos, so we can definitely expect some fight choreography to play to her strengths. The cast also includes top Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Clancy Brown and Scott Adkins in unknown roles.
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Chapter 4 will take place in Japan, America, Paris, Berlin and Jordan. There aren’t many plot details in the Comic-Con teaser, but do we need some? Franchise fans know what they want and trust Stahleski to deliver. The teaser delivers. We see images of John banging on a rope pole, already bloody from constant use, amidst a smorgasbord of action shots: there are samurai swords, nunchucks, bows and arrows, “dog-fu”, daggers and of course Guns, guns, guns. “Have you thought about where this ends?” a man asks John. “The table will never stop. You know that. No one, not even you, can kill anyone.”
But John Wick never stops either. Yes, there will be a Chapter 5; The studio wanted to film it at the same time as Chapter 4, but between the pandemic and Reeves’ scheduling conflict due to filming The Matrix Resurrections, they decided to only focus on the fourth part. Reeves said he will keep making John Wick films as long as they keep making money. Parabellum grossed $362 million worldwide. If the next two chapters do as well (or better) then the franchise will be with us for a long time.
In fact, a spin-off film, Ballerina, is already in development, in which Ana de Arnas plays a young woman who grew up as an assassin and swears revenge on the assassins who killed her family. A key scene in Parabellum showed a training school for young girls, similar to that in which John Wick grew up, with intensive ballet training. The spinoff film will focus on the adult version of one of these girls. A limited TV series is also in development, The Continental, centering on a young Winston in the 1970s, played by Colin Woodell.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is slated to hit theaters on March 24, 2023.
Entry image from YouTube/Lionsgate