John Wick 5’s Story Means It Can Finally Bring The Keanu Reeves Franchise Back To Its Roots After 3 Wild Sequels

After the ending of the fourth film in the action-packed franchise, John Wick 5 can bring the series back to its roots. The first John Wick movie was released in 2014, and the franchise has only gotten more successful and critically acclaimed since. Every film in the John Wick franchise is arguably better than the last, which is rare for movie series. However, a fifth film in the franchise was uncertain for a long time after Keanu Reeves’ тιтular character seemingly died at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4.

Even though the fourth entry features an emotional ending during which characters mourn John Wick’s death, there are hints that he is not actually ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. This theory has seemingly been confirmed since John Wick 5 is confirmed to be in development. Since the release of the fourth film, Reeves and franchise director Chad Stahelski have cast doubt on John Wick 5, but the chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group officially announced that the duo will return for a fifth entry at CinemaCon 2025. This means that the John Wick franchise can finally return to its roots after three action-packed movies.

John Wick 5 Will Have To Address John Wick’s Return To The Game

John May Come Back From The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ In John Wick 5

John Wick: Chapter 4 would have been an amazing ending to the series, since it is the highest-rated movie in the franchise and killed off the тιтular ᴀssᴀssin in a satisfying manner. Despite this, I am still incredibly excited for John Wick 5, and have no doubt that Reeves and Stahelski will deliver another amazing action movie. However, John Wick 5 will be different from the last few entries in the franchise, since Reeves’ character will have to return to the game once again after seemingly dying.

It’s possible that John Wick 5 will be set in the past, which avoids ruining the ending of the fourth film. However, I am hoping that the fifth film is set after the events of John Wick: Chapter 4. Since he finally found a way to escape the world of ᴀssᴀssins at the end of the fourth film, I’m very interested to see what will lead to John returning once again in John Wick 5. While no story details have been revealed for John Wick 5, perhaps Winston will be in danger, which would justify John coming out of retirement.

By Focusing On John’s Return, John Wick 5 Can Mirror The First Movie’s Story

John Wick Came Out Of Retirement In The First Movie

If John Wick 5 is indeed set after the events of the fourth film, it could mirror the story of the first movie in the series. At the beginning of the first film, John Wick has been in retirement for many years. For years, he lived a happy life with his wife, but she unfortunately died of a terminal illness before the events of the franchise. To cope with his sadness, John buys a dog at the beginning of the 2014 film. However, this dog is killed when a group of men breaks into his home.

His return in John Wick 5 would be even more dramatic than it was in the first movie, since all the ᴀssᴀssins in the world probably think he is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ after the ending of the fourth film.

Therefore, in the first John Wick movie, John comes out of retirement to hunt down the men who murdered his dog. John coming out of retirement once again in John Wick 5 would bring the franchise back to its roots. In fact, his return in John Wick 5 would be even more dramatic than it was in the first movie, since all the ᴀssᴀssins in the world probably think he is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ after the ending of the fourth film.

John Wick 5 Should Be A Smaller-Scale Movie After How Big John Wick 4 Was

John Wick 5 Could Make A Bold Creative Decision

No details about John Wick 5’s story are currently known, but since it will likely be returning the franchise to its roots, I think it should be a smaller-scale movie. It is undeniable that all the John Wick movies have been bigger and more ambitious than the last. However, after how mᴀssive John Wick: Chapter 4 was, I think it would be refreshing for the fifth film to be more reminiscent of the first movie in the series.

John Wick Movies

Worldwide Box Office

RT Critics Score

John Wick (2014)

$86,085,139

86%

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

$174,348,632

89%

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)

$328,349,908

89%

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

$440,180,275

94%

This is not to say that Reeves and Stahelski shouldn’t push themselves to deliver the best action sequences possible, but a smaller-scale story would be a nice change of pace for the series. However, this is easier said than done, as Lionsgate surely doesn’t want people to view John Wick 5 as a downgrade. After all, there are budget and box office expectations for John Wick 5. Therefore, it is much more likely that John Wick 5 will strive to be bigger and bolder than the previous entries, which isn’t something that I’ll complain about if they pull it off.

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