John Wick: Chapter 4 is easily one of the most anticipated action movies of the year. Not only have all three previous films in the John Wick franchise been excellent, but the trailers have indicated that the fourth film is the most epic and emotional installment in the series thus far. Considering that the John Wick universe is set to be expanding with the spinoff film Ballerina and the prequel television series The Continental, fans may be curious about what lies in store for the titular assassin next. While none of the previous films featured post-credit scenes, leave it to the most inventive franchise of the moment to pull off another major surprise.
Directed once more by Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 4 picks up with John (Keanu Reeves) after he was shot off the top of the room of the New York Continental Hotel by Winston (Ian McShane) at the end of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. After being rescued by the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), John is determined to atone for his sins by restoring his place at the High Table after the covert society of assassins excommunicated him from their ranks. However, John faces new enemies in his search for redemption; the German High Table member Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) is determined to kill him off, and he’s hired the blind assassin Caine (Donnie Yen) and the ruthless tracker Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson) to ensure it.
Among the many things that the John Wick franchise has been praised for is its incredible stunt work, as Stahelski himself spent many years working as a stuntman before directing features. It’s worth sticking around through the credits of John Wick: Chapter 4 simply out of respect for the incredible ensemble of stunt performers, and fans are likely curious about any post-credit goodies the film may have snuck in.
A First For The Franchise
Unlike its predecessors, John Wick: Chapter 4 includes a brief post-credit scene that addresses the fate of some of the supporting characters and indicates what direction the franchise may be headed next. However, viewers will have to wait quite some time before they’re rewarded with this final moment, as John Wick: Chapter 4 is the longest entry in the series thus far at 169 minutes. That hasn’t seemed to dull expectations in the slightest, as early critical reviews have indicated that the nearly three-hour running time flies by faster than the speeding bullets John always seems to be dodging.
A Possible Direction
After an ending that is sure to be divisive among John Wick fans, the post-credit scene indicates what the series might have in store next. It is definitely worth sticking around for, as any John Wick fans that are heavily interested in the franchise’s mythology will want to know what could be in the works next. Some recent films with credit scenes like Scream VI and Cocaine Bear offer nothing beyond jokes, but John Wick: Chapter 4 adds something essential to the story moving forward in its final moments.
It’s also a moment that John Wick fans will have to stay around for in theaters, as the post-credit stinger has not been released online yet. John Wick: Chapter 4 does not currently have a streaming release date set, and considering its expected success at the box office, it’s likely that it will remain exclusively in theaters for a few months before it drops online. However, previous films in the series are currently available to watch for paid subscribers to the streaming service Peacock.
A Bigger World
The John Wick franchise is set to expand beyond Reeves into its own shared universe. This year, Peacock will air the spinoff series The Continental, which takes place in the 1970s and follows a young Winston (Colin Woodell) and Charon (Ayomide Adegun) during their rise to power in New York. While no trailer has been released thus far, the series will introduce new cast members such as Peter Greene, Mel Gibson, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, and Nhung Kate to the franchise.
Additionally, Len Wiseman is currently directing the theatrical spinoff Ballerina, a film centered on the female assassin Rooney, played by Ana de Armas. Set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina follows Rooney on a path of revenge as she seeks to avenge those that killed her family. Reeves, McShane, and Lance Reddick are all set to reprise their roles, with Angelica Huston, Norman Reedus, Gabriel Byrne, and Catalina Sandino Moreno all set to join the saga as well.
The big question fans may be wondering is whether Reeves himself will return for a fifth installment in the core series, and unfortunately, the post credit scene doesn’t offer any clues. While it had previously been announced that a fourth and fifth film would be shot back-to-back, Staheleski himself indicated that he’s unsure of what he and Reeves want to do next. Stahelski noted that “nine years later, it's changed our lives, it changed my life, it changed Keanu's life, it's changed a lot of other people's lives, and people still want to see more.”
Stahelski’s next project isn’t set in stone quite yet, but he’s been attached to the Henry Cavill-starring remake of the 1986 film Highlander, a film adaptation of the 2012 Kaiju novel Project Nemesis written by Jeremy Robinson, and a film adaptation of the 2020 video game Ghost of Tsushima. Perhaps Stahleski has been inspired by the success of the first John Wick’s co-director David Leitch, who went on to helm Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Bullet Train.
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As for Reeves, he may be looking to reprise another one of his most beloved characters before stepping back into the world of John Wick. Last year it was announced that Reeves would be returning to the titular role of Constantine for a long-anticipated sequel to the 2005 comic book film, with Francis Lawrence returning to direct. However, the announcement came before the changing of the guard at DC Films, and Reeves recently stated that the studio is “reevaluating” their plans for the character moving forward. However, he’s also set to star in Jonah Hill’s next directorial feature film Outcome.