Compared to this time last year, we have certainly come a long way in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. As vaccines continue to roll out across the country and become more widely accessible to the general population, a sense of normalcy begins to creep back into society more and more by the day. More and more businesses begin to open their doors once again and return to normal operations as a result, including movie theaters which have been exceptionally hard hit throughout the course of the pandemic. Subsequently, delayed movie productions are picking back up where they left off as well with movie studios eager to make the return to theaters and reclaim lost profits following a tumultuous year. Among those is the next installment of the John Wick franchise, to which we have received some significant updates over the past week.
Two years removed from the release of 2019’s John Wick 3, eager fans have had to remain patient throughout the pandemic as delays have certainly factored into the next installment’s production. While it was rather surprisingly confirmed this week that the franchise’s creator and screenwriter Derek Kolstad has not been involved in production of John Wick 4, the film appears to be inching closer and closer regardless. It has been confirmed that filming on the fourth installment is set to begin this June, primarily in Europe, and is set to release on May 27th, 2022. The upcoming installment will instead be written by Mike Finch, known for his work on American Assassins and Predators, with director Chad Stahelski returning to direct the next chapter. After two long years, John Wick will finally be making his return to movie theaters across the globe.
While COVID-19 certainly inhibited production on John Wick 4, Reeves’ involvement in Matrix 4 was reportedly an even bigger impediment. Now that the actor has seemingly completed his work there, Lionsgate can return to work on the Wick universe while Reeves prepares for two blockbuster premieres in the near future. One disappointing update through all of this is the fact that John Wick 4 and John Wick 5 will no longer be shot back to back as previously reported, however with the hype surrounding the franchise it is difficult to imagine the fifth installment lagging too far behind once the fourth hits theaters. Fans can now pencil in a movie day for May 27th of next year when John Wick 4 will hit theaters.
