John Wick: How Many Sequels in the Future?
John Wick chapter four was supposed to arrive next year on May 21, but Lionsgate studios have delayed the film by an entire year since it hadn’t even begun its production, and would’ve had to wait till the end of the year for Keanu Reeves to even get his schedule clear for the film. Reeves was supposed to film John Wick 4 after The Matrix 4, but since The Matrix 4 has not finished production till now due to the Coronavirus, it was always going to be impossible for John Wick to finish on time. Lionsgate could have given John Wick a release date for late 2021, but it’s good that they are willing to give the project enough time to get it to spot on, just like the previous 3 films.
Keanu Reeves has stated in the past that he’d make John Wick movies till the fans would want these films. Our initial thought was that we’d only be getting a trilogy, as that’s how things usually go with most projects. But people have loved this franchise a lot, the writers and director Chad Stahelski have managed to establish a whole system of Assassins set all across the globe, and the films have been profitable one after the other. So we were always going to get more than 3 John Wick movies. But the real question is, how many will we get in total? How many sequels are still left to be made? Well, we might have the answer to this question.
Comicbook.com recently spoke to John Wick creator and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, and he did tell us how many sequels we should expect from the franchise. He said:
“I think the other thing, too, is to his [Keanu Reeves’] credit and to his career, he’s done very few sequels. He found something very special in John Wick that is very important to him, that is both spoken and unspoken. I don’t know how many more there will be, but I think the plan right now is, at the very least, four to five.
The idea being if we can… Shoehorn is the wrong word. It’s very negative, but if you can look at Chapter 4 and go, ‘Is it one long movie, or do you take your time, let it breathe, be its own creature as four and five?’ I think that’s where he would be incredibly happy. He’s taken ownership of this character. He’s made it his own in the best ways possible, and so it isn’t a matter of deferring to a guy like Keanu. It’s a matter of all of us excited to play again.”
Well it is absolutely correct. We shouldn’t expect any more John Wick movies beyond Chapter 5. That’s because even though every film has been able to grow, innovate, raise the stakes, and find new ways for John Wick to kill an army of men, at its core, this franchise is just about one man standing tall and taking down people who have wronged him or are trying to kill him. Yes, there is no denial in the fact that there is a great added story, and meaning to John Wick’s killings, but what excites most people is the fact that Wick finds new visually appealing ways to murder people. And that, after 5 movies would become extremely redundant.
Hollywood keeps showing us how new films bring in new concepts and keep the action fresh and unique. But there is a limit to the growth of the action when it comes to one particular franchise led by just stoic character. After Chapter 5, even our hunger for more John Wick might be quenched. The John Wick franchise has been growing big at the Box Office one film is the other. Chapter 4 might bring in $400 Million, and Chapter 5 might go to $500 Million at max, but if the franchise goes on for any longer than that, then the earnings will begin to diminish. They could start to come down with Chapter 5 itself, but since it’ll be the supposed finale, anything will be possible.
Anyway, the Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers franchises have shown how redundancy brings a franchise down by the 5th film. So, John Wick should certainly learn from those two franchises, and it already seems like Lionsgate is not greedy enough to go beyond John Wick 5.
This brings us to a very suitable theory about this franchise which proves that John Wick 5 will be the final film to star Keanu Reeves in the titular role. Reddit user ‘u/coces’ theorizes that the JW films are themed around the 5 Stages of Grief. The theory states:
Stage 1 – Denial
In John Wick, things start with the death of Wick’s wife. We see him living by himself with his wife’s things left untouched. He’s trying to act normally as if he is in denial that his wife is actually gone. But still, we see him in anguish driving his car recklessly. His wife’s dog gives him further motive to live. When that gets taken away, he relapses into anger.
Stage 2 – Anger
In Chapter 2, his actions in the first film caused Santiago to pull him out of retirement. His house gets blown. He is betrayed even after fulfilling the marker. He lets his anger get the better of him as he kills Santiago on Continental grounds.
Stage 3 – Bargaining
We see Wick in constant need for help. First the doctor, then he bargains for free passage from his mother. Takes help from Sofia, asks the high table for forgiveness.
Stage 4 – Depression
John Wick is pissed and he’d come for blood. He wants to exist so he could continue remembering his love. But his forced life of a hitman would probably depress him. He’d probably turn into an “empty shell, slower & sloppy.”
Stage 5 – Acceptance
In John Wick 5, we’d see Wick accepting his fate, whatever it is. He’d probably come to terms with death or the fact that he’d remain a hitman. And this acceptance will give him a suitable ending.
Let’s see if this theory comes true. Would you like to see more John Wick movies after all this? We are already getting a TV series based on The Continental hotel, so do you want more? Tell us.
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