Ahead of the highly anticipated return of John Wick next spring, director Chad Stahelski is giving viewers some insight into the roles of some franchise newcomers. He sat down recently with Collider's own Steve Weintraub for a wide-ranging chat about John Wick 4, which sees Keanu Reeves facing new foes in his path to finally defeating the High Table, and they got on the topic of three actors - Bill Skarsgård, Clancy Brown, and Shamier Anderson. During the interview, he gave a slight peak at what to expect from their characters in the upcoming sequel and how they play into the larger story.
The trio of actors is part of a stacked roster with Reeves as its centerpiece and Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen, Rina Sawayama, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Scott Adkins also along for the ride. Little was known about the three's roles other than some previous comments and their brief appearances in the teaser trailer, though. Every indication was that the three had some greater connection to the High Table, but Stahelski's latest comments finally give them a proper place in the world of Wick.
He was first asked about Bill Skarsgård who we see in the new trailer as a potential foe to Baba Yaga, albeit someone he may have to go along with to achieve his goals. The director paints him as a well-connected force brought in as a way of resetting the hierarchy of the films. Moreover, his name, The Marquis, alone gives away his position of higher standing. Stahelski couldn't get deep into detail regarding his role, but he explains:
His character's name, his broad name, is The Marquis. The Marquis is, without giving too much away, I wouldn't really say the antagonist, but he's the one in charge of cleaning up all the messes from the first three movies.
Seen alongside Skarsgård in the trailer is Clancy Brown, who thus far has been kept far more ambiguous to this point. Stahelski finally gives him a name - The Harbinger - and reveals that he's a key part of John Wick 4. He says that The Harbinger is "everything that word stands for," describing him as the High Table officiate in the room. "He gives the whole sentiment, and he's like our high-table referee" the director adds. The one he had the most to talk about was Shamier Anderson, whose involvement in the film has been kept under wraps thus far aside from a combat training video from last summer. He'll be more directly involved in combat than either The Marquis or the Harbinger it seems, but Stahelski has a more unique premise for his character, adding:
Shamier's a whole different kind of character. His character's name's the Tracker. Again, name says it all. Everyone's got a purpose. Everybody's got a reason. Everybody's got a motivation. His is, at least initially, he's self-motivated. He becomes a character that's in the gray area between the two worlds, the Wick world, and the real world.
More Background On John Wick 4
This will be Stahelski's fourth outing as director for the franchise and John Wick has become a pop culture staple under his watch. Since the third entry in 2019, work is getting underway on a prequel series The Continental and the spinoff Ballerina starring Ana de Armas which we recently learned will now feature Reeves and McShane reprising their roles. It seems he and writers Michael Finch and Shay Hatten have big plans for Skarsgård, Brown, and Anderson in the upcoming film, placing them at the center of Baba Yaga's fight with the High Table in what's sure to be another wild ride.
John Wick 4 arrives in theaters on March 24, 2023. See the short teaser trailer below and stay tuned here at Collider for our full interview with Stahelski.