‘John Wick’ director promises the inevitable ‘Chapter 5’ won’t be a cash-grab

Leading up to the release of the universally well-received John Wick: Chapter 4, director Chad Stahelski appeared to “um” and “ah” a great deal about whether or not we’ll be seeing the Baba Yaga again. Well, now that the critics and fans have spoken, and Lionsgate has well and truly lined its pockets with a big box office haul, Chapter 5 is seemingly inevitable.

While Stahelski parroted his recent tune about sitting down in a Japanese whiskey bar with Keanu Reeves to feel out whether or not they can come up with a solid next installment, his thoughts were much more optimistic in the aftermath of the release of Chapter 4, while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter: 

“It’s very flattering for them to come back and, you know, say ‘We want more’ and it’s not just a cash grab. It’s legitimately the audience wants more. I think we all need that little bit of time to go, ‘Whew. Let’s see what’s next.’ If Keanu and I, a few months from now sit down at a whiskey bar in Japan again and go, ‘Yep, we’ll never do another one of those,’ and then all of a sudden go, ‘Yeah, but I got an idea,’ we’re open to it.”

Following Chapter 3, the original pre-pandemic plan for the next two John Wick films was to shoot them back-to-back. Ultimately, this didn’t come to pass, as Stahelski noted that such an approach would’ve had the movies feeling too similar. Leading up to the release of Chapter 4, Stahelski’s tone around the future of the franchise seemed a lot more tired. However, now that everyone from the fans to the stakeholders are invested in the idea of a continuation, he appears to be coming around. 

For now, if you’re jonesing for another hit of John Wick action, you won’t need to wait overly long, with the Ana De Armas-led Ballerina spin-off set to hit theaters next year. If that’s too far away, you could always treat yourself to another viewing of Chapter 4, which is still running, gunning, hacking, and slashing its way through theaters.