John Wick 5 has the potential to be a huge addition to Keanu Reeves’ ever-growing filmography. However, the movie also has some big obstacles to overcome before it can be viewed as the modern classic that the previous John Wick installments are. The upcoming installment could either spark a new phase of Reeves’ career or remind audiences why the franchise should have ended back in 2023.
Thankfully, there are several reasons why I’m convinced that John Wick 5 will be a success, even though all the odds seem to be stacked against it. The actor has proven over the years that betting against him is never a good idea, and even Reeves’ most controversial projects offer lessons to be learned.
John Wick 5 Will Need To Bring Keanu Reeves’ Hero Back From The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ
The Protagonist Was Seemingly Killed In The Previous Movie
The biggest problem going into John Wick 5 is that it has the unfortunate task of rewriting the ending of John Wick 4, where Reeves’ protagonist was seemingly killed in a duel with Bill Skarsgard’s villainous Marquis. The ending was a very powerful conclusion to his character arc, allowing him to settle his debts with the High Table without escaping the consequences of his actions altogether.
This ending clearly has to be retconned for John Wick 5 to happen, somehow explaining how the тιтular hero survived the encounter. There’s been no indication that the movie will be a prequel or spinoff, so it’s safe to ᴀssume the story will take place after Wick’s supposed death. Despite Reeves’ excitement for the project, bringing Wick back still feels like a cheap and unnecessary twist.
The Previous Attempt At Resurrecting A Keanu Reeves Character Didn’t Work
Neo’s Ending Was Changed In A Way That Many Fans Didn’t Like
For living proof of how dangerous this kind of retroactive resurrection can be, look no further than Reeves’ own filmography. The Matrix Resurrections brought back one of the actor’s most beloved characters, Neo, after almost two decades, and that project was met with hugely divisive reviews. Despite Lana Wachowski’s topical screenplay, it didn’t particularly feel like a movie that needed to be made.
Unless John Wick 5 is extremely careful with its decision to bring the protagonist back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, it could end up going down the same road as The Matrix Resurrections. Neo’s story had a very satisfying ending in The Matrix Revolutions, and the latest sequel rewrote much of that powerful subtext just to bring the character back for another spin.
And once these characters are back, it’s much harder to say goodbye to them again. This is already obvious from John Wick’s appearance in Ballerina. The character wasn’t necessary to the story, but the writers still felt the need to include him in the marketing to get audiences to watch the film. If John Wick becomes over-reliant on Reeves, it’s hard to see a future for the series.
John Wick 5 Will Likely Be More Successful Than The Matrix Resurrections
John Wick 5 Doesn’t Feel Quite As Risky As The Matrix Sequel
However, comparing John Wick 5 to The Matrix Resurrections comes with its own set of inconsistencies. The Matrix franchise had already been heading downhill since the very first sequel, but this isn’t a problem that John Wick has experienced. If anything, that franchise has consistently been getting better over the years, so there’s no reason to believe the fifth movie would lose its touch.
As much as I’m hesitant about Reeves coming back for a fifth John Wick movie, I’m not quite convinced that it’s going to be as much of a critical and commercial letdown as The Matrix Resurrections. The John Wick sequels have consistently performed well at the box office, with the most recent installment managing almost $450 million worldwide.
Ballerina may not have been the huge box office success that most John Wick movies have been, but its $131 million worldwide gross (via Box Office Mojo) is still fairly impressive for a spinoff movie that’s essentially serving as the beginning of a new series. There’s clearly still some interest in John Wick, and it’s hard to imagine that audiences will pᴀss on Reeves’ return.
How John Wick Could Return In John Wick 5
There Are Several Interesting Routes The Story Could Take
Although John Wick 5 is officially in development with production scheduled to take place over the summer months, there has still been no comment from the cast or crew about how exactly John Wick survived his encounter with the Marquis. So far, the studio has done a brilliant job of keeping the sequel’s plot тιԍнтly under wraps.
While it’s unlikely that the fifth installment will manage to keep the details of the protagonist’s return a secret right up until release, audiences will probably have to wait until the movie’s first trailer before learning about Wick’s fate. Thankfully, countless interesting theories about John Wick 5 could help shed some light on the unlikely sequel.
Many fans are speculating that Caine had something to do with the secret plan, since he was Wick’s opponent and wanted revenge on the Marquis for threatening his family.
Clearly, John Wick managed to survive his duel somehow. Many audiences are speculating that Caine had something to do with the secret plan, since he was Wick’s opponent and wanted revenge on the Marquis for threatening his family. Alternatively, it’s also possible that Wick managed to survive Caine’s bullet by pure chance, and his allies would have been able to get him swift medical help.
