John Wick 5: Official Status, Story Teases, Returning Cast — Every Update You Need

Right, let's talk about John Wick. When the first film landed back in 2014, Keanu Reeves was hardly the obvious pick for launching a mega-franchise. His Matrix days felt a bit distant, his career wasn't exactly roaring along, and frankly – very few people expected much. Fast-forward to now and, somehow, John Wick has become a billion-dollar universe: four main films, a comic book, a surprisingly decent telly prequel, and more spin-off plans than you can keep track of. Not all of them brilliant, mind you, but the mainline Wick films are certified critical darlings. Classic 'how on earth did we get here' Hollywood stuff.

Are We Actually Getting John Wick 5?

Even though John himself seemed to bite the dust at the end of Chapter 4 (looked pretty terminal from where I was sitting), rumours of a fifth instalment just won't die. It's starting to look less like a never-gonna-happen situation and more like a waiting game.

This all kicked off properly in August 2020, when Lionsgate's big boss Jon Feltheimer said they'd have a go at Chapter 5, aiming for a back-to-back shoot with Chapter 4. That didn't quite pan out. Chad Stahelski – who steers the Wick ship – said he needed breathing room, which I suppose is fair enough when you're trying to keep things fresh instead of running on autopilot.

Most recently, at CinemaCon in April 2025, Stahelski gave a bit of an update: yes, things are moving, but production is still on pause. Basically, there's progress, but don't go queueing for premiere tickets yet. Adam Fogelson, who's running Lionsgate Films these days, told Business Insider:

'Chad and Keanu have an idea that they think can be really exciting... There are a lot of steps, so I wouldn't want to put a timeline on it. But in terms of finding a core idea, they seem to have landed on something that they are excited about, and now we'll see.'

Translation: ideas are cooking, nothing's been properly green-lit and there's absolutely no calendar date locked down. To add to the wait, the Donnie Yen spinoff ('Caine') and an animated prequel will arrive first – so expect John Wick: Chapter 5 in cinemas no earlier than 2028, possibly later if the stars align in their usual mad fashion.

What Are They Actually Going to Do With Wick?

The big question: what exactly is left to explore? At the end of Chapter 4, John finally gets rid of the Marquis, gets out from under the High Table – and then, allegedly, dies. Cut to Winston (Ian McShane) and Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King, standing over Wick's headstone next to his late wife's, looking suitably mournful. Atmosphere, but not exactly sequel-bait.

Stahelski's been clear: the High Table story's wrapped. Chapter 5 won't just roll out another table full of angry assassins – it's a brand new sandbox, or so he insists. In his own words to Empire and Collider:

'The saga of John Wick was pretty wrapped up. So the only way to do a 5 is to have a new story that involves John Wick… It will be really different, and everybody [will] see the trailer and go, "Holy fuck... I gotta see that."'

Here’s where it gets a bit twisty. Stahelski says he won’t be pulling any cheap tricks. No 'it was all a dream,' no 'surprise, the coffin was empty,' no retconning John's death. Given that, only a few options are left:

• We get a story set before Chapter 4's finale — a mid-quel, if you will, following Wick on a previous mission.
• They go full prequel, focused on a younger John Wick. Either a keenly de-aged Keanu, or possibly an entirely new actor, with Reeves showing up as future Wick in flash-forwards.
• They commit sacrilege and carry on without John Wick as the active main character, maybe using flashbacks or a token cameo. If this turns into a 'he had a secret child all along' plot, well, that wouldn't even be the most outrageous thing the franchise has tried.

Chancing a guess? Lionsgate are keen to milk their golden goose, but they appear unwilling to just rehash the old formula.

Who's Definitely In – and Who Isn't

The producing team is already sorted: Keanu Reeves himself, Erica Lee, and Basil Iwanyk, with Stahelski back in the director's chair. Stahelski's also now got creative oversight on the entire franchise, a direct result of him being nonplussed about the TV spin-off 'The Continental,' which he wasn't really involved in.

As for who appears on screen, nothing's nailed down – but if Chapter 5 is an actual sequel rather than time-travel or prequel nonsense, you'd expect the survivors to show up. Ian McShane’s Winston should return (since the Continental's under new management again) and Laurence Fishburne hasn't exactly left the stage as the Bowery King.

All the spin-off potential is still up in the air. Ana de Armas’s 'Ballerina' could get folded in, and if Donnie Yen’s Caine doesn’t return, someone in casting will have questions to answer, since he basically walked away with every scene he got. If they do set up the sequel through Caine’s solo outing, that’d be one way to keep the narrative strings tied together.