Will there be a John Wick 5? Latest news on Keanu Reeves action series

The fourth entry in the saga – John Wick: Chapter 4 – has just arrived in UK cinemas, with Keanu Reeves once again starring as the titular assassin, this time joined by a number of franchise newcomers including Bill Skarsgård, Clancy Brown and Donnie Yen.

John Wick: Chapter 4 had widely been anticipated to be the final instalment in the main action franchise.

However, after the latest film's record opening weekend at the global box office making $137.5 million worldwide, a John Wick: Chapter 5 is no longer out of the question, according to Lionsgate.

"There's a will and there's an openness. And you could certainly interpret that ending in different ways," said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake (via The Hollywood Reporter). "We're all going to take a tiny rest here and then scratch at ideas about whether there's a credible way to get into five. But there's no guarantee."

We already know that this won't be the end of the franchise – a spin-off film titled Ballerina has already wrapped production, while a TV miniseries prequel focusing on the origins of Winston at The Continental Hotel will be arriving on streaming service Peacock at an as-yet-unannounced date.

But will there be any more direct sequels in the John Wick series? Read on for everything you need to know – but bear in mind that there are major spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4 ahead.

Will there be a John Wick 5?

Back in the summer of 2020, it seemed that the answer to this question was a fairly straightforward yes – but that has all changed in the intervening years.

In August 2020, it was announced by Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer that Chapter 5 would be shooting back-to-back with the fourth outing, but development was put on hold in March 2021 and the sequel appears to have been shelved for now.

In March 2023, Chad Stahelski – who has directed all four films so far – told The Hollywood Reporter: "In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment. We’re going to give John Wick a rest."

He added: "I’m sure the studio has a plan. If everyone loves it and it goes kooky, then we’ll take a quiet minute."

Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves was slightly more hopeful, telling Total Film: “You have to see how the audience responds to what we did. The only reason we’ve had a chance to make these movies is that people have liked what we have done. So I think we have to wait and see how the audience responds to it. Hopefully, they’ll like it.”

Of course, there's also the question of whether a new film even makes sense given the events of Chapter 4. At the end of the film, the title character appears to have died – although as detailed above, Lionsgate has said that might not be the end of it.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake noted: “Keanu and Chad, rightly so, are very protective about never screwing with the audience. So we certainly have our work cut out for us... Keanu is so beloved and that character is so beloved; that’s not lost on him.”

Star Ian McShane also said another chapter could be on the cards.

"I think it's sufficiently enigmatic, you can go whichever way you want," he told RadioTimes.com. "I think they wrote it specifically to leave it open to whatever is happening. And maybe there will be another one. John Wick hasn't retired, I don't think!"

So, while a fifth film in the main saga should by no means be definitively ruled out at this stage, fans certainly shouldn't expect an imminent return.

John Wick 5 potential release date

Due to the various reasons outlined above, if there is to be another John Wick sequel it likely won't be for quite some time.

But we will be seeing Reeves back on the big screen in a supporting role in the upcoming film Ballerina, a spin-off focusing on ballerina-assassin Rooney – who made a brief appearance played by Unity Phelan in John Wick: Chapter 3 and will now be played by Ana de Armas.

An official release date has not yet been announced for the film, but it is currently in post-production so there's every chance it could arrive at some point in 2024. We'll keep you updated when we hear more news.

Meanwhile, a number of other big-screen spin-off projects have also been mooted including a potential film about Halle Berry's character Sophia and even a crossover with Bob Odenkirk action flick Nobody – although neither of these ideas have been confirmed.

John Wick 5 cast

It wouldn't be a John Wick film without Keanu Reeves in the title role, so a sequel would rest on him returning to the part – while we'd also be likely to see franchise favourites Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne reprising their roles as Winston and The Bowery King respectively.

It's also possible that Rina Sawayama would be back as Akira – after the post-credits scene in John Wick 4 teased her beginning a mission to avenge the death of her father Koji – while perhaps Ana de Armas will join the main saga as Rooney after playing the role in the aforementioned spin-off.

Other stars who could be in line to appear in any sequel include Anjelica Huston, Halle Berry and Shamier Anderson – we'll keep you updated should anything be confirmed.

John Wick 5 plot

It's obviously too early to say what could happen in a potential John Wick 5 – given that it might not even happen at all. But any new sequel would have to begin by explaining how John managed to survive the ordeal at the end of Chapter 4, as well as revealing what he did after faking his own death.

Based on the post-credits scene in John Wick 4, it seems likely that Rina Sawayama's Akira would feature prominently – perhaps she'll manage to track John down so that she can continue the revenge mission for her father's death, thus forcing him out of retirement once again.

As soon as anything is revealed, we'll post it right here – so do keep coming back for all the latest updates.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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