John Wick 5 is officially happening (probably) – here's what you need to know (2024)

John Wick 5 still isn't any closer to happening, but we are getting a new spin-off movie to expand the universe.

In May 2024, it was announced that Donnie Yen will reprise his role as Caine from John Wick: Chapter 4 for a new movie, set after the events of the fourth movie (which could well resolve that credit-scene mystery).

There was no update on John Wick 5 though, which was technically confirmed in May 2023, but nearly a year on and we're no clearer whether it's actually happening.

In July 2023, Chad Stahelski – who has directed all four John Wick movies to date – said that he didn't know that a fifth movie would happen. However, as he told Inverse in October 2023, he's not against the idea as long as it's not a "cash grab".

"I have notebooks and notebooks of sh*t behind me, John Wicks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. We have ideas for days. We just don't have the story locked," Stahelski explained.

Given how John Wick: Chapter 4 ended, it's perhaps not a surprise that we might not get a fifth movie. For now though, let's hope that Stahelski finds an idea as we're not sure we're ready to say bye to John Wick just yet.

So with that in mind, here's everything you need to know about a potential John Wick 5.

Even though John Wick 5 has been confirmed to be in development (probably), we don't yet have an official release date for the next movie as of April 2024.

The next John Wick movie we see will be the Ana de Armas-led spin-off Ballerina, which takes place between Chapters 3 and 4 in the timeline.

It was set to arrive in June this year, but had a year-long delay and will now hit cinemas on June 6, 2025. Stahelski isn't directing the spin-off, but is working with director Len Wiseman on additional action sequences for the movie.

The Caine spin-off movie does not yet have a release date as of June 2024.

If you need a John Wick fix right now, all three episodes of The Continental are available to watch on Prime Video in the UK and Peaco*ck in the US. Don't expect to see Keanu Reeves in the show though.

We'll likely have to wait until at least 2026 (and likely beyond that) for the fifth movie as there is currently no date for it to start filming.

Despite where he's left at the end of Chapter 4, we can't imagine a John Wick movie without Keanu Reeves, so he'll be back.

Even though the movie is in development, we haven't yet had any official cast confirmations. We can make some guesses though based on where things left off at the end of Chapter 4.

Ian McShane will likely also return as Continental owner Winston, having been restored to his status by the end of the fourth movie, while Laurence Fishburne should be back as the Bowery King too.

Following his untimely passing, Lance Reddick won't be back as Charon, who was also killed off in the fourth movie but could have made flashback returns. We'll get to see Reddick one final time as the faithful concierge though in spin-off Ballerina.

Outside of those, it's hard to tell who else could return. Maybe Donnie Yen as Wick's old friend Caine, assuming he survives the assassination attempt by Rina Sawayama's Akira as teased in Chapter 4's post-credit scene.

Given that he's now got his own spin-off movie, it's safe to say that Caine will survive that attempt. Quite what that means for Akira is another matter though.

Shamier Anderson's mysterious Tracker could return too, and maybe we'll get an appearance in the main movies by Ana de Armas's ballerina Rooney (assuming Rooney survives her spin-off movie, that is).

There's no avoiding it: John Wick looks to be dead at the end of Chapter 4. Following the duel with Caine (Donnie Yen), Wick appears to succumb to his injuries after telling Winston (Ian McShane) to take him home.

We then see Winston and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) at the grave of Wick, who is buried alongside his wife. However, we technically never see Wick's body, although he does slump over after the duel.

He'd been through a lot though that evening and morning, so maybe he was just tired. We can see a world where it's revealed Winston helped Wick fake his death so that he was finally free of the High Table.

Stahelski has even revealed that they filmed a different version of the ending that showed Wick did survive, which is why you see his beloved pup look around during that final scene (potentially at Wick).

Whether it's revealed Wick has faked his death remains to be seen though, and could likely depend on whether Reeves and Stahelski want to come back for another movie.

Stahelski has been open about the fact that there is a certain amount of ambiguity about Chapter 4's ending, which allows for Wick's return.

"I guess I'm going to have to lean on never say never," Reeves told EW after the release. "I mean, I wouldn't do a John Wick film without Chad Stahelski. We'd have to see what that looked like. For me, it feels really right that John Wick finds peace."

Talking to Collider in May 2022, Stahelski called the fourth movie a "good conclusion to an emotional thread that we've already had", which will certainly be the case if there isn't a fifth movie as you can't get more conclusive than killing your main character.

However, it also hints that if a fifth movie does happen, then it'll be a kind of soft reboot for the series and could start telling a new story separated from the High Table, the Continental and all that usual Wick stuff.

Chapter 4 does introduce new characters to the world such as Akira and the Tracker, but if their stories are continued, we imagine it'll be more in a spin-off or as secondary characters in the fifth movie, rather than them becoming main characters of it.

Unfortunately not, since filming hasn't even started on John Wick 5. You'll be waiting a while for any footage.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to watch on Prime Video in the UK. John Wick 5 does not yet have a release date.