In 2014, few people could have imagined that a pulpy, low-budget revenge thriller about a retired hitman who dusts off the tricks of his trade after a group of baddies break into his home, steal his beloved 1969 Mustang Mach 1, and kill his adorable puppy would turn into box office gold, but here we are. Like Ted Logan (of Bill & Ted fame) and The Matrix’s Neo, John Wick has added yet another legacy-making character — and franchise — to Keanu Reeves’ CV. And the film series’ fourth installment, the aptly titled John Wick: Chapter 4, is nearly upon us. Here’s everything we know about the long-awaited sequel.
Plot
As is often the case with highly anticipated sequels, Lionsgate is keeping many of the key plot details of John Wick: Chapter 4 rather close to the chest. But here’s the studio’s official plot summary, according to Collider:
“John Wick (Keanu Reeves) takes on his most lethal adversaries yet in the upcoming fourth installment of the series. With the price on his head ever increasing, Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Osaka to Berlin.”
In other words: After watching Wick suffer at the hands of the High Table — the underworld’s version of a governing body, where a dozen of the planet’s most powerful crime lords work together to ensure maximum corruption where they can get it — there’s a chance he might be able to turn the tables.
What we do know is that John Wick: Chapter 4 is intended to be the first part of a two-part sendoff for Reeves’ character. While that would imply that John Wick: Chapter 5 is already a done deal, Reeves admitted that a fifth installment is not yet confirmed. (Despite previous reports that the movies were being filmed back-to-back.)
“You have to see how the audience responds to what we did,” Reeves told Total Film earlier this year of a fifth film. “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.”
According to Box Office Mojo’s numbers, each subsequent chapter in the franchise has nearly doubled the box office take of its predecessor — so it’s probably safe to say that if Keanu builds it, people will come.
Release Date
John Wick: Chapter 4 will arrive in theaters on Friday, March 24, 2023. No information on when or where it will begin streaming has been announced yet.
Cast
While Keanu Reeves fans would be perfectly content for John Wick to be a one-man showcase for the action star/internet boyfriend, John Wick: Chapter 4’s bench is absolutely loaded. In addition to Reeves, Ian McShane — who plays Wick’s pal Winston, owner of New York City’s criminal-friendly Continental Hotel — and Lance Reddick, who plays Continental concierge Charon, will be reprising their roles. John Wick: Chapter 4 will also see the return of frequent Reeves collaborator Laurence Fishburne, who joined the franchise as “The Bowery King” in its second installment.
Hong Kong martial arts legend Donnie Yen (Ip Man) is also set to join the cast, as is fellow actor/martial artist Scott Adkins, upping the action game. Bill Skarsgård will play the Marquis de Gramont, Chapter 4’s big bad — who might just be Wick’s most challenging adversary yet.
Trailer
John Wick: Chapter 4 arrives in theaters on March 24, 2023.
