The last we saw of John Wick, his story appeared to be over.
A gravestone bearing his name suggested the Baba Yaga had finally met his end. After four films, it felt like the franchise had reached a natural apex — a fitting end to a remarkable run of films that achieved both critical and commercial success.
Yet comments from series co-creator Chad Stahelski continue to offer insight into where the franchise could go next — even if a fifth film isn’t moving forward just yet.
So what exactly is going on with legendary hitman?
Is John Wick 5 actually happening?
While John Wick 5 has been confirmed to be in development by Lionsgate, the project isn't actively moving forward with no release date just yet.
When John Wick 4 first hit cinemas, Stahelski was quick to suggest that this would be the end for Wick, much to the chagrin of the studio bosses over at Lionsgate. “The response was, ‘What are you f***ing thinking?’” Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2023. “And Keanu and I just smiled and said, ‘Yeah.’ We decided we wanted to tie everything together, and we were like, ‘How do you give a proper goodbye?’ So that’s how we sold it to the studio because, at some point, this has gotta end, man.”
While Stahelski appeared to be putting the nail in John Wick's coffin, Lionsgate appeared to be thinking differently.
Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake indicated that plans for a fifth film remained in early development as part of the studio’s wider push to expand the franchise.
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Drake said, “What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spinoff that comes out next year. We’re in development on three others, including [John Wick 5] and including television series, The Continental, which will be airing soon. And so, we’re building out the world, and when that five-movie comes, it will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.”
Yet Stahelski has made it clear that there’s currently no finished story, and until that changes, the film remains in limbo.
The creative challenges behind John Wick 5
With John Wick: Chapter 4, Stahelski admits there were doubts about ending it on such a downbeat note.
They might even have changed course entirely had a version of the ending that hinted more clearly at Wick’s survival not scored badly with test audiences.
“There was a different way to do [the funeral scene], and we wanted it to be a little bit more mysterious. That’s why you see the puppy look up at the end [during the funeral scene],” Stahelski said. “So we did one test screening, and the audience revolted pretty hard about [the new ending]. So we thought that we nailed it the first time, and to the studio’s credit, they didn’t even blink.”
While the studio might not have immediately blinked, Stahelski has struck a decidedly different tone in other interviews discussing John Wick’s future. The most notable of these came with Entertainment Weekly, where the franchise co-creator appeared to be pining for the chance to do it all again.
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"Look, 100 percent honesty, these things are so fun, and challenging, and painful, and special," he said.
"You know, if you ask any director in Hollywood if he could direct his own IP, come up with his own ideas, and have some of the best cast members in Hollywood, have some of the best crew want to work with you because they know you're going to do something special, I mean, yeah, who wouldn't trip over themselves to do that? If you think it wouldn't be a good idea to work with Keanu for the rest of your career, you're crazy; that's nuts, like, of course.”
Stahelski went on to suggest that the main stumbling block to John Wick 5 was the lack of a clear story or killer script to work with. “I don’t have a why,” he explained, pointing to the difficulty of finding a compelling reason to continue the saga.
“To be honest, maybe five months from now, Keanu could be sitting there in that same bar going, 'Hey…' But, right now, we tried to leave everything on the table we could, just put it all out there. Everything we've ever wanted to do in a film, in a John Wick, we did it. As good as we could be at the point we did that movie, that was our best. Now, hopefully, we improve, and we evolve, and maybe there's going to be a time when we look at each other going, got an idea!"
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So what next for the Baba Yaga?
The clearest conclusion to come out of the EW interview though, was the status of Wick himself.
In what amounted to a remarkable about-turn from his previous comments, Stahelski appeared to suggest Baba Yaga is very much still alive.
"Let's just say John Wick has found a way to be at peace," he said. "What's the only way John could have gotten out? He's got to make everyone think he's dead, or he has to be dead, or he has to kill off a part of his persona. However, you want to take that, that's cool with us.”
The most recent update came from Stahelski during another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, marking the 10th anniversary of the first John Wick film’s release. During the chat, Stahelski appeared to acknowledge that attempts were being made to develop John Wick 5, though he was struggling to find a way to up the ante from the previous movie.
“The honest truth is you don’t [top John Wick: Chapter 4]. You simply don’t. There’s no topping what we did. That’s the end. That’s the deal. That’s what we found closure for. Look, sometimes, we’ll keep things in development. Sometimes, we’ll use development as an exercise, but is there an opportunity to do [John Wick 5]? Of course, there is, whether it’s for money or for creativity,” he said. “Jesus, in the last three years, I’ve already had three or four versions of a John Wick 5. There were different ways to crack the story, but it’s almost a mental exercise for me.”
Moving in a new direction?
Even so, Stahelski appears to have identified some potential wiggle room to get out of Wick’s possible demise and establish a rich new vein from which to explore new adventures featuring everyone’s favorite assassin.
“It would not be part of that [John Wick: Chapter 4] storyline. It would not be what you would think it is. As far as [John Wick: Chapter 4], we’ve peaked. At least I have. That’s my apex. We ended it. It’s a complete story,” Stahelski said. “I watch it now, and I feel very happy about it, but we wouldn’t try to outdo it. We wouldn’t try to add on to that. It’d have to be a completely different storyline.”
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Ultimately, much could depend on how the upcoming spin-off Ballerina, featuring Anna de Armas, performs with audiences. The film was released in cinemas on June 6, 2025, expanding the franchise’s universe and introducing new characters beyond Wick himself.
While its theatrical box office was modest, Ballerina has since gained traction on streaming platforms, becoming one of the more‑watched action titles in the franchise’s catalogue.
Should the movie continue to succeed with audiences, then Lionsgate might be content to put John Wick on ice for a little longer. But should the film falter, then a few calls might need to be made.
For now, fans will have to wait and see whether John Wick truly rides off into the sunset, or returns for another high-stakes mission.
