If John Wick: Chapter 5 actually happens, then John Leguizamo’s Aurelio should make a comeback too. The John Wick movies did an incredible job at worldbuilding, with each entry further fleshing out the bizarre criminal underworld they take place within. Despite Keanu Reeves’ тιтular ᴀssᴀssin looking very ᴅᴇᴀᴅ following John Wick: Chapter 4’s ending, the franchise is going nowhere. The first movie spinoff Ballerina arrives in 2025, and while Chapter 5 has yet to be officially announced, it feels inevitable.

Chapter 4 wrapped up several ongoing character arcs, but it also left the fates of many supporting players in the air. The fates of characters like Cᴀssian (Common) or Halle Berry’s Sofia weren’t even touched upon, despite both seemingly being set up for future sequels. John’s mechanic buddy Aurelio (John Leguizamo) didn’t make a return either, despite being one of Wick’s few friends. Of all the major character disappearances from the saga, Aurelio’s is the most glaring.

John Leguizamo’s Aurelio Last Appeared In John Wick: Chapter 2

Maybe Aurelio is still working on John’s car

Aurelio didn’t have much to do during his John Wick: Chapter 2 appearance. He appears after the explosive opening sequence to take John’s wrecked car back to his garage, which he grimly predicts will need a lot of work. He’s then seen briefly during the closing montage when he receives word of the bounty on John’s head for killing Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) on the grounds of The Continental. The character isn’t even mentioned in pᴀssing in the following two movies, though John could be avoiding Aurelio in case he puts his life in danger.

During an AV Club interview in 2020, Leguizamo spoke of his disappointment with John Wick: Chapter 2. As scripted and sH๏τ, Aureilo revealed his backstory during the sequel, had a fight scene, and was in another sequence where he’s beaten up by Santino and his men. The majority of these scenes hit the cutting room floor, with Leguizamo only learning about this during a screening of the finished movie. The actor was also honest about his disappointment about his role being chopped to nothing following the sequel’s release.

Why John Leguizamo’s Aurelio Was Not In John Wick’s Chapters 3 And 4

Leguizamo believes he was cut from John Wick for “badmouthing it”

Looking at where John Wick: Chapters 3 and 4 took the story, it’s tricky to see where Aurelio could have fit into either. Still, it would have been nice to have at least one scene where John turns to his old friend for help – or even to retrieve his car. There has been no official reason stated for Aurelio being cut from later sequels, though in the aforementioned AV Club conversation, Leguizamo believes he was dropped due to his comments on Chapter 2.

And then I wasn’t in it anymore. For bad-mouthing it, they cut me out of the rest.

Whether that’s the case or not is unknown, it could easily be a case that the filmmakers couldn’t organically find a reason to include the mechanic. Wick spends most of his New York scenes in the third movie running away, so dropping by Aurelio’s would be out of the question. Reeves’ hitman does an awful lot of globe-hopping during Chapter 4, so a reappearance by Leguizamo would have been tricky to add.

The most logical spot would have been seeing Aurelio by John’s graveside in Chapter 4’s final scene, but this would have meant he and Reeves wouldn’t have shared any screentime. It should also be noted that Leguizamo was busy with his directorial debut Critical Thinking when the third film entered production, which may have made him unavailable for a return appearance.

How Aurelio Could Fit Into John Wick 5’s Story (If John Wick Returns)

John Wick 5 has the chance to accidentally pay off a throwaway gag

Any potential John Wick: Chapter 5 would have to make John’s surprise resurrection a key part of the story. If he returns to New York, he could conceivably touch base with old allies, and it would actually make sense for him to reconnect with Aurelio. The mechanic has connections to the city’s underworld and could give Wick a quick update on how things have changed since John’s “death.” Chapter 5 could also pay off Aurelio’s gag about fixing Wick’s car.

In Chapter 2, he quips that the тιтular character’s car will be fixed by “Christmas… 2030.” Given how busy Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski are and the fact a good story needs to be developed for Chapter 5, it’s not inconceivable that the next film won’t arrive until 2030. This would be a lovely callback for fans, plus it’s only logical that now the heat has died off, John Wick would finally go back to Aurelio to pick up his beloved car.

Source: The AV Club