John Wick: Chapter 5 is aiming to be the action franchise’s biggest story yet. Though John Wick: Chapter 4 ended with its protagonist gaining his freedom from the High Table, it looks like the тιтular protagonist won’t just return to his home in New York City, especially since the film made it seem like he had died.

Franchise director Chad Stahelski teased John Wick: Chapter 5‘s globe-trotting story, expressing his desire to shoot the movie in China, Africa, and the Middle East. Such a story would be much bigger than the first film’s, which kept John’s adventure within the confines of New York. However, the franchise began to grow more and more with each sequel, taking it far beyond New York and reaching cities outside the United States. As the fifth film will continue John’s story and expand his world, the franchise continues to leave New York further in the background in favor of a global action-packed blockbuster.

The John Wick Sequels Have Made The Franchise Increasingly International

John Wick’s Story Has Grown Far Beyond New York City

Beginning with John Wick: Chapter 2, the franchise started following the тιтular protagonist as he embarked on adventures outside New York. Some of the second film showed John reluctantly carrying out a hit in Rome before returning to the Big Apple. However, Reeves’s character begins spending more time outside the United States as he goes on the run from the High Table at the end of John Wick: Chapter 2.

Since the John Wick movies had grown progressively popular and successful over time, the filmmakers were naturally given the budget needed to take the franchise to more and more international settings to keep audiences watching. This allowed the franchise to evolve from just another action thriller set in New York to a vibrant and expansive crime saga with rich mythology rooted in several different cultures.

John Wick 5 Could Have The Franchise’s Most Global Setting

John Wick: Chapter 5 May Go Where None Of The Films Have Gone Before

Based on Stahelski’s comments about the fifth film’s story, it sounds like John Wick: Chapter 5 could take the franchise to bold, new horizons. The sequel could even be set entirely outside the United States. However, Stahelski also told SlashFilm that he was waiting for relations between the U.S. and China to improve in the hopes that the latter would allow him and his production team to shoot there.

It’s unknown how Hollywood’s relationships overseas will affect the sequel’s story. Since Stahelski expressed his fascination with ancient history when discussing his proposed filming locations, it is possible that John Wick: Chapter 5 could explore the origins of the High Table itself. This could make way for even more world-building, which will make the film even bigger and more compelling.

Why The John Wick Movies Have Largely Left New York Behind

John Wick’s Movies Grew As The Franchise Explored More Of The Criminal Underworld

New York is still a key location in the John Wick movies, as it was where he lived and where Winston’s branch of the Continental is located. However, the world of the franchise began to expand in the second film as John kept getting pulled back into his life as an ᴀssᴀssin. Specifically, the franchise explored more of the criminal underworld ruled by the High Table, which stretches across the entire globe with leaders in countries like Italy, France, Germany, Morocco, and Japan.

It made sense that the franchise began to put John in more locations outside of New York. Their globe-trotting stories allowed the sequels to stand out from the first film, keeping the saga fresh and exciting with each chapter. Even spinoffs like Ballerina are doing the same thing by following characters besides John outside the United States. For instance, Collider revealed that scenes for Ballerina had been sH๏τ in Budapest, hinting at an international action-packed adventure for Ana de Armas’s protagonist.

Overall, the planned story for John Wick: Chapter 5 shows how far the franchise has gone since its first film in 2014. Reflecting John’s return to this life of crime, the sequels showed him navigating the many far reaches of the High Table’s control worldwide. It’s unknown what secrets the fifth film will unveil, but the sheer scale and depth of its story and setting will surely reflect the weight and grandeur of John’s journey.

Source: SlashFilm, Collider