There’s been a major update in the future of the John Wick franchise with series co-creator Chad Stahelski hinting that fans could see more of Baba Yaga in the not-too-distant future, though not necessarily in the way they might expect.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR JOHN WICK 4 FOLLOW
As John Wick fans will recall, the fourth film saw seemingly die, having succumbed to the injuries incurred over the course of the movie. In one of the final scenes Lawrence Fishburne’s Bowery King is joined by Ian McShane’s Winston at a gravestone bearing the name “John Wick.” The pair pay their respects, with the camera making a point of highlighting the name on the grave next to it is that of Helen Wick, his late wife.
When the film first hit cinemas, Stahelski was quick to suggest that this would be the end for Wick, much to the chagrin of the studio bosses over at Lionsgate. “The response was, ‘What are you f***ing thinking?’ The note was, ‘Are you f***ing insane?’” Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2023. “And Keanu and I just smiled and said, ‘Yeah.’ We decided we wanted to tie everything together, and we were like, ‘How do you give a proper goodbye?’ So that’s how we sold it to the studio because, at some point, this has gotta end, man.”
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However, even then, Stahelski admits there were doubts about ending it on such a downbeat note. They might even have changed course entirely had a version of the ending that hinted more clearly at Wick’s survival not scored badly with test audiences.
“There was a different way to do [the funeral scene], and we wanted it to be a little bit more mysterious. That’s why you see the puppy look up at the end [during the funeral scene],” Stahelski said. “So we did one test screening, and the audience revolted pretty hard about [the new ending]. So we thought that we nailed it the first time, and to the studio’s credit, they didn’t even blink.”
While the studio might not have immediately blinked, Stahelski has struck a decidedly different tone in other interviews discussing John Wick’s future. The most notable of these came with Entertainment Weekly, where the franchise co-creator appeared to be pining for the chance to do it all again.
“Look, 100 percent honesty, these things are so fun, and challenging, and painful, and special,” he said. “You know, if you ask any director in Hollywood if he could direct his own IP, come up with his own ideas, and have some of the best cast members in Hollywood, have some of the best crew want to work with you because they know you’re going to do something special, I mean, yeah, who wouldn’t trip over themselves to do that? If you think it wouldn’t be a good idea to work with Keanu for the rest of your career, you’re crazy; that’s nuts, like, of course.”
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Stahelski went on to suggest that the main stumbling block to John Wick 5 was the lack of a clear story or killer script to work with. “I don’t have a why,” he explained.
“To be honest, maybe five months from now, Keanu could be sitting there in that same bar going, ‘Hey…’ But, right now, we tried to leave everything on the table we could, just put it all out there. Everything we’ve ever wanted to do in a film, in a John Wick, we did it. As good as we could be at the point we did that movie, that was our best. Now, hopefully, we improve, and we evolve, and maybe there’s going to be a time when we look at each other going, got an idea!”
The clearest conclusion to come out of the EW interview though was the status of Wick himself. In what amounted to a remarkable about-turn from his previous comments Stahelski appeared to suggest Baba Yaga is very much still alive.
“Let’s just say John Wick has found a way to be at peace,” he said. “What’s the only way John could have gotten out? He’s got to make everyone think he’s dead, or he has to be dead, or he has to kill off a part of his persona. However you want to take that, that’s cool with us.”
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While Stahelski appeared to be somewhat coy on the prospects of John Wick 5, Lionsgate appeared to think differently with Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake indicating that plans for a fifth film remained in early development during the company’s fourth quarter 2023 earnings call [via Comicbook.com].
Drake said: “What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spinoff that comes out next year. We’re in development on three others, including [John Wick 5] and including television series, The Continental, will be airing soon. And so, we’re building out the world and when that five movie comes, will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.”
The most recent update came from Stahelski during another interview with The Hollywood Reporter marking the 10th anniversary of the first John Wick film’s release. During the chat, Stahelski appeared to acknowledge that attempts were being made to develop John Wick 5, though he was struggling to find a way to up the ante from the previous movie.
“The honest truth is you don’t [top John Wick: Chapter 4]. You simply don’t. There’s no topping what we did. That’s the end. That’s the deal. That’s what we found closure for. Look, sometimes, we’ll keep things in development. Sometimes, we’ll use development as an exercise, but is there an opportunity to do [John Wick 5]? Of course, there is, whether it’s for money or for creativity,” he said. “Jesus, in the last three years, I’ve already had three or four versions of a John Wick 5. They were different ways to crack the story, but it’s almost a mental exercise for me.”
Even so, Stahelski appears to have identified some potential wiggle room to get out of Wick’s possible demise and establish a rich new vein from which to explore new adventures featuring everyone’s favorite assassin.
“It would not be part of that [John Wick: Chapter 4] storyline. It would not be what you would think it is. As far as [John Wick: Chapter 4], we’ve peaked. At least I have. That’s my apex. We ended it. It’s a complete story,” Stahelski said. “I watch it now, and I feel very happy about it, but we wouldn’t try to outdo it. We wouldn’t try to add on to that. It’d have to be a completely different storyline.”
Ultimately much could depend on how the upcoming spin-off Ballerina, featuring Anna de Armas fares. Should the movie succeed with audiences then Lionsgate might be content to put John Wick on ice for a little longer. But should the film falter, then a few calls might need to be made.
