John Wick 5 Will Depend on a Trip to Japan and a Bottle of Whiskey

Aug 10, 2023

John Wick 5 could happen if Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski can come up with something cool.

During an interview with Deadline, producer Basil Iwanyk revealed that the duo is heading to Japan to hammer out the finer details while sharing a couple of bottles of whiskey.

"Once they get through their hangovers, if Keanu and Chad have figured out something cool, if they’ve an organic way back in that doesn't feel like bullshit, then there will be a John Wick 5," he confirmed.

"That trip to Japan, it's like waiting for a boat to emerge out of the smoke, but that's the impetus," added Iwanyk. "These movies are really hard for Keanu and Chad, and everybody. By the time each one is over, most involved have said, never again, this is too hard and we’re not getting any younger. Then time goes by, you see it embraced by fans, and after working together every year for 11 years, it's become a family and in some demented way, and we miss each other. But I totally defer to Chad and Keanu to figure out what and if that story is."

Of course, Lionsgate already confirmed it was considering a fifth installment shortly after John Wick 4 was released. The tricky thing is, John Wick: Chapter 4 was largely considered to be the final movie in the main installment (see a spoiler-filled breakdown of the ending here).

But with or without a fifth main installment, there's plenty more in the John Wick franchise left to come. Prequel series The Continental will arrive on Peacock in September, and a spinoff film, Ballerina starring Ana de Armas, will debut on June 7, 2024.

IGN's review of John Wick: Chapter 4 gave it 10/10 and said: "It seemed like an impossible task, but the Baba Yaga has a history of delivering on those: John Wick: Chapter 4 stands above its predecessors – and the past decade's worth of action films as a whole – as a modern epic, something Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski have been driving at since 2014. Wick's world war is bursting at the seams with creative, thrillingly staged action choreography and cinematography, perfectly pitched performances from an outstanding and unforgettable cast of allies and villains heralded by a merciless Bill Skarsgård, all without losing its grip on the sensitivity that keeps John's struggle for absolution at the heart of every bullet fired and every edged weapon swung. Slide Chapter 4 a gold coin across the table and see what happens when John Wick lands a perfect shot."

Want to read more about John Wick? Check out when John Wick 4 is getting its digital release as well as Keanu's cool gift to the John Wick 4 stunt actors.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.