John Wick: Chapter 5

gets a new tease from director Chad Stahelski, who hypes the film’s globetrotting story. With each new John Wick movie, the franchise became bigger and more popular, culminating with the fourth film in 2023, which ends with Keanu Reeves’ тιтular ᴀssᴀssin seemingly ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and buried. The film left enough clues that Wick could return, however, and it was announced in April that John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development with Stahelski and Reeves both returning.

During a recent interview with SlashFilm, Stahelski shares what influences and cinematic styles he’s hoping to incorporate into John Wick: Chapter 5. While the director makes clear that the film is currently short on story specifics, he does reveal that the works of iconic directors from Japan and China will continue to be a major source of inspiration for him moving forward, naming both John Woo and Akira Kurosawa. Global politics permitting, Stahelski would like to film parts of the movie in China, in addition to Africa and the Middle East. Check out his comment below:

I will tell you as much as I know, which isn’t much. Look, we have an inkling to it … I can’t tell you what “John Wick 5” is about because we haven’t quite got it all down. We have thoughts, I have a thematic…. You can tell I love ’70s movies. We’ve done a lot of rock and roll fable stuff from number two, we’ve done the mythical David Lean of number three and four, and the Samurai and Leone and the Bertolucci in number two, and the Tarkovsky in number three. You can see all my influences.

I’m a huge fan of Wong Kar-Wai, Zhang Yimou, Tsui Hark, John Woo, of course. So, I think no matter what, I think there’s going to be an influence of Chinese cinema. We did so much of Kurosawa, and all the other Japanese directors, and what we love to do with the Samurai films of Zatoichi and Kurosawa and all that. So, I’d like to explore that kind of realm.

Now that the world is changing a little bit, I think hopefully, relations will improve and continue to improve between us and China, which will allow us the opportunity to explore locations over there, but I’d like to bring that kind of storytelling in, its my tribute back to the “Matrixes” and all my, early Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yeun Biao, Tsui Hark, and all the other great ones.

And then I’d still like to — I really love the Middle East, I love David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia,” I love all that. So, I think there’s more storytelling to be … I like old cultural stuff, and I think China, Africa, and the Middle East holds some of the best history, human history. So, I’d like to explore all those areas as well.

What This Means For John Wick 5

Stahelski Has Teased A Fresh Start For Keanu Reeves’ ᴀssᴀssin

The John Wick movies steadily increased in scope and scale as they went on, with Chapter 3 – Parabellum taking Wick to Morocco, while Chapter 4 saw him travel to Japan, France, and Berlin. This increase in scale is commensurate with the films’ budgets, with Parabellum, for example, featuring a budget of $75 million, while its sequel was made for an estimated $100 million. To accomplish the geographic feats Stahelski is hoping for John Wick 5, that film will likely need to match Chapter 4‘s budget.

John Wick: Chapter 4 reviews were glowing and the film grossed a franchise-high of $440 million at the box office, meaning budget will likely not be an issue in the next installment. Chapter 4 also provides a major indication regarding the tone and feel of Chapter 5, with the former very clearly heavily inspired by Samurai epics in terms of its themes and storytelling. Stahelski previously told Empire that Chapter 5 will start “a new story” and won’t be a continuation of Chapter 4, suggesting the new locations will be tied to an entirely new adventure for Reeves’ character.

Our Take On Stahelski’s John Wick 5 Teases

The Epic Elements Of Chapter 4 Will Be Returning

There are many things that set the John Wick franchise apart from its action contemporaries, but Stahelski’s ambition and stylistic inspirations are certainly one of them. What started as a fairly contained story about a hitman seeking revenge for the murder of his puppy evolved into an action epic, with gorgeous cinematography, a rich mythology, and globe-spanning locations turning Wick’s saga into something truly unique.

Though John Wick: Chapter 5‘s story may leave certain franchise elements in the past in favor of starting fresh, Stahelski’s latest comment is a reᴀssuring sign that the film won’t be losing that epic feeling of its predecessor. How China, Africa, and the Middle East will be woven into the tale remains to be seen, but it is sure to be interesting watching Reeves’ ᴀssᴀssin in action in these new locations.

Source: SlashFilm