John Wick 4 Part finally gives hope to its titular hero and seems to bring back the dark ending the series was heading towards. John Wick not only provided Keanu Reeves with a big comeback, but also had a big impact on many action movies that followed. The John Wick sequels had more action and more dead bodies, but with each chapter, Wick's chances of survival seemed to shrink. By the end of John Wick: Chapter 3, he was barely alive, having survived grueling shootouts and fights only to be betrayed by his former friend Winston (Ian McShane).
If some viewers felt that John Wick director Chad Stahelski was plotting a dark end to the character, they were right. Speaking to Den Of Geek in 2019 about the release of Chapter 4, he stated: “The original intent of Chapter XNUMX was to kill off John Wick. It doesn't work with some people." According to the director, Wick essentially cursed himself with his actions in Chapter XNUMX, and his death was the only logical outcome. Of course, the studio didn't see this, and instead the third movie ended with a cliffhanger foreshadowing a different story, but John Wick XNUMX Part offers a little hope.
John Wick 4 gives the killer a chance to escape
If John Wick: Chapter 3 made one thing clear, it's that the High Table will never, ever stop haunting Wick. The trailer for chapter 4 showed that if he challenges new villain and High Table member Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) to a duel and wins, then he will finally have a way out. Of course, judging by the preview, in order to achieve the goal, he will have to go through a lot of henchmen. It could also mean that Wick's fate isn't quite as sealed as Stahelski claimed.
Considering everything Wick has been through in the franchise, his death doesn't seem like a satisfying conclusion. Chapter 3 was the darkest in the series to date, with a desperate John seemingly willing to sell his soul to stay alive a little longer. If John Wick 3 had ended with his planned death, it would have left a bitter aftertaste for followers of the saga. With the release of Chapter XNUMX, the series appears to be gearing up for an epic finale that will at least give Wick a chance to die.
Will there be a John Wick 5?
John Wick Part 4 was supposed to shoot in parallel with Chapter 5, but production on the latter was delayed due to the pandemic. Since then, work has progressed on the spin-off "Ballerina" starring Ana de Armas. The film will take place between the events of John Wick: Chapters 3 and 4, with Reeves, McShane and Lance Reddick reprising their roles. This has led to some speculation that perhaps Ballerina will replace John Wick: Chapter 5.
Assuming that John Wick Part 4 doesn't rip the carpet out of audiences' hands and kill its anti-hero, then it's safe to assume that Chapter 5 will take place after all. Each entry in the series has been more successful than the last, and if the fourth installment follows that trajectory, a sequel is inevitable. While both Ballerina and the prequel miniseries The Continental will expand the franchise beyond mainstream outlets while Reeves is ready to return, it seems that John Wick still has plenty of life left.
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