John Wick 5 to Explore New Story, Director Teases

LOS ANGELES, CA – Director Chad Stahelski has announced that the upcoming film, John Wick: Chapter 5, will be a departure from the previous installments. During a recent interview with Empire, he emphasized that the High Table storyline has concluded, marking a significant shift for the character played by Keanu Reeves.

“The saga of John Wick was pretty wrapped up,” Stahelski stated. “So the only way to do a 5 is to have a new story that involves John Wick.” The film will not continue the previous plotlines involving the High Table, which played a central role in John Wick’s journey through the first four films.

Fans are keenly aware that John Wick appeared to die at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, where he is shown collapsing from his injuries. His gravestone was also revealed, leaving many to speculate on his future. However, the director assured fans that John Wick will indeed return, navigating a “really different” narrative in the next chapter.

“It will be really different, and everybody [will] see the trailer and go, ‘Holy fuck… I gotta see that,’” Stahelski added, hinting at unexpected developments in John Wick’s character arc.

In addition to the main film, the John Wick franchise is expanding rapidly. The spinoff film Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, is set to be released in theaters on June 6. Other projects include a spinoff focusing on Donnie Yen’s character, Caine, and the animated prequel film exploring Wick’s escape from the assassin underworld. A live-action series titled Under the High Table is also in production, with Stahelski and Reeves serving as executive producers.

Stahelski noted that these upcoming projects will serve as crucial elements to transition audiences towards the storyline of John Wick: Chapter 5. “Our idea is to try some things and explore some threads and use those two properties to catapult us forward into the ideas for John 5,” he explained.

The continuous expansion of the John Wick universe, including an immersive experience in Las Vegas and a AAA video game, demonstrates the franchise’s growing popularity and influence in action cinema.

As fans eagerly await further details on John Wick: Chapter 5, they can look forward to more from the Wick universe this June with the release of Ballerina.