According to co-writer Shay Hatten, the titular character of John Wick: Chapter Four will have to deal with a “existential question.”
In an interview with Total Film, Hatten talked about Wick’s character evolution in the next sequel, which involves soul-searching. He added, “With 4, you reach this point where you’re asking John an existential question. There has been a brief interval between 3 and 4 when you discover him. He is furious as hell. He seeks vengeance from the High Table for what transpired in the third film.
But everyone in his immediate vicinity is telling him, “Precisely why are you still doing this? Even if you manage to escape, what is the value of your life? And will his wife respect the man he has grown into by following this path of revenge? You have the opportunity to go deeply into John’s soul and force him to face his identity and his causes.
After filming on its predecessor, John Wick: Chapter Three – Parabellum, finished, star Keanu Reeves’ attitude was similar to that of Wick in John Wick: Chapter Four. After the third edition of the franchise’s development came to a close, director Chad Stahelski claimed that he and star Keanu Reeves were exhausted and were debating whether to continue with the franchise’s further sequels or call it quits. According to Stahelski, he and Reeves were so sick of franchises that they contemplated leaving John Wick’s plot hanging.
Reeves and Stahelski Discuss John Wick 4
The two, though, eventually agreed to make a sequel, and Stahelski initially agreed to shoot John Wick: Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 simultaneously. Later, after realising the burden a 200-day main photography schedule would have on the cast and crew, the director abandoned the plan to shoot two sequels simultaneously. Despite this, Stahelski is unwavering in his belief that John Wick: Chapter 5 will proceed, citing his and Reeves’ devotion to the series. He explained, “Keanu calls it the John Wick fever. “We’ve got to go do something! You haven’t done John Wick in two years.”
Contrary to the physical demands it places on his body, Reeves continues to be willing to reprise the John Wick character. In a recent interview, the legendary actor discussed the difficulties of playing the melancholic assassin, saying that John Wick: Chapter 4 was his most difficult film to date. The hardest film I’ve ever made, according to Reeves, was John Wick 4. “It’s the most difficult action movie I’ve ever made. However, that is what makes it great.”