The Internet’s Freaking Out Over Wesley Snipes Joining John Wick: Chapter 4

The internet was buzzing yesterday when news began circulating that Wesley Snipes had joined the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4, adding another hugely capable martial artist to the ensemble alongside the legendary Donnie Yen, which sounds like a mouthwatering prospect for fans of action cinema.

Reports touted Snipes as being in talks to play a mysterious swordsman, which would have no doubt leaned into his baggage as the original big screen Blade. It would have also marked another milestone for the actor as he embarks on the mainstream comeback trail following a decade in the VOD wilderness, which has seen him pop up in acclaimed biopic Dolemite Is My Name, smash hit streaming sequel Coming 2 America and Netflix’s upcoming drama series True Story.

However, the story has since been debunked and appears to be at least a couple of months out of date, with The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit revealing that talks had long since broken down in regards to having Snipes board the Keanu Reeves franchise. It’s definitely disappointing, especially when you consider how hyped folks were getting, as you can see from some of the early reactions below.

https://twitter.com/THE_Stefano_DLC/status/1405277665087524867

The thought of having Keanu Reeves, Wesley Snipes and Donnie Yen in a John Wick blockbuster sounds awesome, but it looks as though we’ll have to make do with two out of the three instead, which still isn’t bad. The Demolition Man and Passenger 57 star has a reputation for being something of an eccentric and prickly customer, but there’s no word on why talks between the actor and the studio broke down.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to kick off production imminently in Paris and Berlin in order to hit theaters in May 2022, but sadly, it’ll be without Wesley Snipes.