JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 5 Confirmed Again, but Will Keanu Reeves Return?

The John Wick franchise refuses to stay down, and now, it’s coming back for a fifth chapter. Lionsgate’s Jenefer Brown, EVP and Head of Global Products & Experiences, recently confirmed again that John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development.

Despite the fourth film’s dramatic ending and the franchise’s recent focus on expanding its universe through spin-offs like The Continental and the upcoming Ballerina , The studio wants to continue the legacy story.

Brown said: “This world continues to grow and expand in incredible ways. Up next, of course, we have Ballerina, which is our first spin-off movie and [we] can’t wait for that to release to the world.

“Of course, we’ve announced we’re working on a fifth John Wick film. I think there are more spin-offs to come, a TV series, video game.”

But the biggest question remains: Is John Wick actually alive? The ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 left audiences thinking they had witnessed his final moment. When pressed about the assassin’s fate, Brown kept things vague:

“We’ve shared that we’re developing a fifth John Wick film … [John Wick] may be [dead]. We are all on bated breath waiting to find out.”

The update came during a preview event for the John Wick Experience in Las Vegas, an interactive attraction that immerses fans in the action-packed world of the franchise. But beyond experiences and spin-offs, Lionsgate has its eyes on the long-term future of John Wick. Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake previously explained:

“We're now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there's clear appetite by the audience.

“What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spin-off 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.”

That “organic” approach is key, rather than forcing a sequel, Lionsgate wants the next film to feel like a natural continuation. And that’s where director Chad Stahelski comes in.

Stahelski isn’t short on ideas. In fact, he’s already mapped out concepts for several more films. He previously revealed:

“I have notebooks and notebooks of shit behind me, John Wicks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. We have ideas for days. We just don’t have the story locked. I have no interest in doing the cash grab of bringing John Wick back for something. Is he a character I like? Of course.

“And if I did a couple of John Wick movies, great. Keanu would do one again in a second if we had a good story. We leave that open-ended. I know that the studio would love us to say we have another one.”

Reeves and Stahelski are only interested in returning if they can craft something compelling. The director elaborated further:

“Keanu and I are always interested in that, but we leave it hanging out there a little bit to figure out if we have something that we’d want to watch. Second, we have a studio that’s very enthusiastic and not just financially motivated, but they’re just interested in seeing what we could do with it.

“So, they’ve been super cool of us this year about branching off. I know the term is ‘spin-offs’ or ‘ancillaries’ or whatever you want to call it. Keanu and I both went back, and we all said, ‘Look, we have ideas for the John Wick world, other characters that aren’t John Wick-centric.

“Would you guys be interested in exploring that?’ And they were super cool, and they said, ‘Yes, we’d be very interested in that.’ Characters that weren’t in any of the movies that had fallen to the sidelines because they just didn’t fit in our storylines, and some existing characters that we’d like to see other things.”

When Reeves talked about the possibility of returning to the role, he said: “You can never say never. My knees right now are saying, ‘I can’t do another John Wick.’ So my heart does, but I don’t know if my knees can do it.”

So while John Wick: Chapter 5 is confirmed, its direction and Keanu Reeves’ involvement remains an open question. If Wick does return, it won’t be for a quick cash grab but for a story that justifies it. But, yeah… it will also make the cash.