John Wick 5does not need to happen, andChapter 4’s original title perfectly explains why. WhereasJohn Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellumended on a cliffhanger that made a sequel all but inevitable,John Wick: Chapter 4’s endingwas as definitive as it gets. After cleverly winning the duel and killing the Marquis,John freed himself from the High Table and died from his wounds right after.While the film skipped from the end of the duel right into John’s funeral, there is no reason to believe John isn’t really dead.
Thestatus ofJohn Wick 5has been quite confusing, although the franchise itself has continued withThe Continentaland will now return to the big screen withtheBallerinaspinoff. While Ana de Arma’s character could replaceJohn Wickas the face of the franchise, Keanu Reeves’ return as his iconic character would obviously be big and could lead to a successful sequel. However, regardless of its box office potential,John Wick 5arguably shouldn’t happen. John earned his rest and lived up to the original subtitleJohn Wick 4almost went with.
John Wick: Chapter 4’s Original Subtitle Explained
John Wick 4 Was Almost Called John Wick: Hagakure
John Wick: Chapter 4’s original title,John Wick: Hagakure, would have been pulled from an 18th-century Japanese book. Published in 1716,Hagakureis a collection of conversations and commentaries that illustrate Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s views on what it means to be a samurai and the Way of the Dying. Yamamoto Tsunetomo was a samurai who lived from 1659 to 1719 and served under Nabeshima Mitsushige. During an interview withCinema Blend,John Wickdirector Chad Stahelski explained that the themes addressed inHagakurefit the story of the fourth movie, particularly the idea of a good death.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’s title came from the Latin phrase"Si vis pacem, para bellum,“which means"If you want peace, prepare for war.”
While Stahelski liked adding chapters to the title of theJohn Wickmovies, he also didn’t want to make this into a running gag. However,they eventually dropped theHagakuresubtitle and went withChapter 4due to possible misreading and translation problemsthat could come from the Japanese word. “Hagakure” can be translated as“hidden leaves,”yet the message that the subtitle wanted to convey had to do with the 1716 book. From a marketing standpoint, especially for the international release,John Wick: Hagakurewould not have quite worked.
John Wick 4 Gave John An Ending That Perfectly Fit The Original Title
John Died On His Own Terms After Reclaiming His Freedom
While the fourthJohn Wickmovie did not go with its original subtitle, it still paid off the themes of theHagakurebook. WhileJohn Wickhad been a warrior without a master for some time already, he still lived by a code and arguably deserved a“good death.”In hindsight,John Wick: Chapter 4can be interpreted as John trying to earn a good death and have a proper sendoff after years of fighting. The fact thatJohn died during a duel to reclaim his freedom and save his friends’ livesmade it all even better.
Ballerinawill take place betweenJohn Wick 3: ParabellumandJohn Wick: Chapter 4.
When discussing the Hagakure title, Stahelski noted that“if you don’t end the journey,”then there is no point in even telling a story.John Wick and the world around him were very mythical, meaning his story needed to have a worthy ending that lived up to everything Keanu Reeves’ character had gone through since the first movie. Interestingly, havingJohn Wick: Hagakureas the title could have spoiled the film’s ending, as some may have made the connection between John’s journey and the Way of the Dying of a Samurai.
John Wick 5 Would Have To Ruin John Wick’s Perfect Ending
John Wick’s Returning Safe And Sound Would Be Anticlimactic
John Wick’s death inChapter 4worked on many levels. First, it brought the series to a close – at least four now – when the movies were still successful and allowedJohn Wick’s story to end on a high note. Secondly, John finally getting to rest after fighting the High Table and killing countless people while doing so was the perfect way to end his journey. Lastly,John got a very honorable death, winning a duel while also saving his friends and people he respected. Keanu Reeves returning forJohn Wick 5would ruin all of that.
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Wick even got a proper funeral, which is not a given in his line of work. The only wayJohn Wick 5doesn’t ruinChapter 4’s ending is if it’s a prequel, which doesn’t seem likely given the timeline of the first four films. TheJohn Wicksaga takes place in a relatively brief period, and whileKeanu Reeves will appear inBallerina, having an entire film take place beforeChapter 4wouldn’t work. A newJohn Wickfilm could perhaps introduce a new protagonist, but it’s difficult to imagine a sequel without Reeves’ character.
Looking at the numbers only,John Wick 5happening would not be surprising.John Wick: Chapter 4made over $440 million worldwide on a $100 million budget and became the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. TheJohn Wickfilms have done something that a lot of franchises struggled with – every movie has felt bigger than the previous one without losing track of what made the original ones so good. Still, from a story perspective,there is hardly any reason to retconChapter 4’s ending and bring Wick back.
Is John Wick 5 Going To Happen?
John Wick 5’s Status Is Confusing
There have been some confusing reports on whetherJohn Wick 5will happen. On May 2023, then Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake confirmed (viaComicbook) that theJohn Wickfranchise was going to continuewith multiple projects, including a fifth movie in the main series as well as theBallerinaspinoff andThe ContinentalTV show, the last of which was released on September 2023. However, a couple of months later, Chad Stahelski was unsure about whether there would be another movie (viaEmpire), noting thatChapter 4was a“pretty good closure for the series.”
John Wick 5 Update: Director Unsure On Franchise Future Despite Lionsgate’s Sequel Announcement
John Wick director Chad Stahelski explains why he’s unsure about John Wick 5 despite Lionsgate announcing the sequel will go into production.
Since then, none of the executives or creatives involved have given a definitive answer as to whether there will be a fifthJohn Wickfilm starring Keanu Reeves. Regardless, theJohn Wickfranchise is moving forward with 2024’s Ballerina as well as two other potential projects reportedly in the works – a Caine spinoff movie starring Donie Yen, and a High Table TV show set afterChapter 4. IfJohn Wick 5does happen, it will have to do a great job of justifying its existence after John’s perfect ending inChapter 4.
John Wick: Chapter 4
Cast
Following the events of Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick Chapter 4 will see the titular character battle against some of his most dangerous foes yet. With a bounty on his head that continues to skyrocket, John decides to take the fight to the High Table on a global scale and battles across areas like Osaka and Paris to wipe out some of the strongest players in the underworld.
