Chad Stahelski still hunting for a "satisfying" John Wick: Chapter 5

"It's a bit of a conundrum," John Wick director Stahelski says. 

Chad Stahelski still hunting for a
Introducing Endless Mode: A New Games & Anime Site from Paste

John Wick is dead. Long live John Wick.

John Wick: Chapter 4 concluded with his besties, Winston and Charon, grieving at the Baba Yaga’s graveside, but that has done nothing to quell demand for more gun-fu. With Ballerina bowing this week, Wick is back in the zeitgeist, giving his tiny dancing friend a bit of a boost and series’ creative powerhouse Chad Stahelski a chance to get some things off his chest. But while everyone wants his thoughts on the series ill-fated Peacock series, The Continental (“[The studio] tried to convince me they knew what they were doing”), and the Ana De Armas spin-off side-sequel (“It seemed to go pretty good”), the future of John Wick weighs heavy on fans’ and studio execs’ minds. It’s a tricky subject.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a wide-ranging and candid interview, Stahelski opened up about the challenges of bringing Wick back from the dead. While resurrecting Wick via Weekend At Bernie’s 2-style voodoo ritual is always on the table, the director says the next sequel is “a bit of a conundrum.” Working with Chapter 4 screenwriter Michael Finch, Stahelski says they’ve “got a pretty good story,” which he thinks is “cool.” However, things are still very much up in the air. “Once we have a 50-page book, and if we’re feeling it, we’ll sit with Keanu and shape this thing,” he says. “Look, everybody seems to want it. It’s a matter of whether we crack it. We’re actively working on it. It’s just … is it going to be satisfying?”

Stahelski revealed that Chapter 4 initially wrapped on a cliffhanger that could easily lead to a new movie. However, while filming in Japan, he realized “we didn’t stick the landing” because the original ending “kind of sucked.” They eventually figured out the answer: Kill John Wick. “I was really happy with the way 4 ended,” he continued. “It was Keanu and I saying, ‘Thank you, it’s been awesome, but it is time to go.’ I didn’t want to overstay our welcome.” Still, the demand for more rages on.

“The studio would very much will it into existence, I’m sure, at some point. Look, they’ve been great and they’ve asked us to really try and we have a really good couple of ideas and we’re going to try.”

It’s easy to see how these things can go sideways. Take, for example, how Peacock handled the universe with The Continental:

“A group of individuals thought they had the magic sauce,” Stahelski said. “But if you take out Basil Iwanyk’s producing intuitiveness, if you take out Keanu’s way of delivering quirky dialogue, and if you take out all the visuals I have in my head from Wong Kar-wai, anime, Leone, Bernardo Bertucci or Andrei Tchaikovsky … then it’s not the same thing. They thought this was as easy as using anamorphic lenses, do a kooky hotel, put in weird dialogue, and insert crime drama.”

Ballerina, which, all things considered, is pretty good, opens in theaters Friday.

 
Join the discussion...