‘John Wick’ director says Jet Li, Jackie Chan part of ‘dream list’ for future sequel
By Ines Shin
March 29, 2023
As the “John Wick” series continues to surpass its own milestones with each new film, director Chad Stahelski hopes to expand the franchise with more big names, such as martial arts legends Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
In “John Wick: Chapter 3,” Stahelski and Reeves collaborated with Mark Dacascos, Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian, who played some of the film’s antagonists. The latest installment of the series, “John Wick: Chapter 4,” features Donnie Yen as Caine, a blind assassin and old friend of John.
During an interview with ScreenRant, Stahelski was asked if there was anyone he had not worked with yet that he wanted to see join the “John Wick” universe.
He replied, “Oh, heaps, so many people,” and shared that he and series lead Keanu Reeves have a long list of actors who they would love to collaborate with.
“If you told me Cillian Murphy was going to be in ‘John Wick,’ I’d be like ‘Oh my God, Cillian Murphy!’ If you told me Jackie Chan or Jet Li… dream list, you know.”
Aside from his wish list, Stahelski, who also served as Reeves’ stunt double in “The Matrix,” discussed his future plans for the “John Wick” franchise.
Although the studio behind the film offered to shoot both “John Wick: Chapter 4” and a fifth movie simultaneously, he declined, explaining that he finds it necessary to take time between movies to be “influenced by life” in order to make another great film.
“I can’t thank Lionsgate enough for even presenting that opportunity,” he added.
Despite the conclusion of “John Wick: Chapter 4” leading viewers to believe that it could be the franchise’s final main installment, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Joe Drake announced on Sunday that the global box office success of the fourth film has made another sequel a possibility.
Drake stated, “There’s a will and there’s an openness,” explaining that the ending of “John Wick: Chapter 4” could be interpreted in many ways, leaving the series’ fate open-ended.
However, Drake warned that “there’s no guarantee” since both Reeves and Stahelski are “very protective about never screwing with the audience.”
For his part, Stahelski has expressed his intentions to continue collaborating with big stars, whether that be in a fifth “John Wick” movie or on a different project altogether.
“These are all people that we would love to [work with] whether that is in John Wick or another project. I’m a fanboy just like everybody else.”
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