Chad Stahelski still hunting for a "satisfying" John Wick: Chapter 5
"It's a bit of a conundrum," John Wick director Stahelski says.
Photo by Rick Kern (Getty Images for Lionsgate)
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?”