Just when you thought Baba Yaga had taken his final bow in John Wick: Chapter 4, director Chad Stahelski casually shoots a hole through our expectations. Yes, John Wick 5 is happening — and no, it’s not a sequel in the traditional sense. It’s a new chapter entirely, and according to Stahelski, it’s going to flip the script entirely.
“The saga of John Wick was pretty wrapped up,” Stahelski told Empire. “So the only way to do a 5 is to have a new story that involves John Wick. It’s not a continuation, with the High Table. John dealt with his grief. It will be really different, and everybody [will] see the trailer and go, ‘Holy f***… I gotta see that.’”
Now that’s a big promise if we’ve ever heard one – especially considering how good the franchise has been.
But wait — how exactly is Keanu Reeves returning? Zombie Wick? Multiverse Wick? Wick in Space? While details are being guarded more tightly than Winston’s vault, one thing is clear: this isn’t just Chapter 5 slapped on a poster. It’s a full reinvention. The High Table drama is gone. The bullet ballet through Paris is done. What could replace it? Something new that feels like Wick, but plays out on an entirely new and different level.
At this year’s CinemaCon, the John Wick universe went full MCU. An anime prequel is in the works, exploring the infamous “Impossible Task” — the one that got John out of the game in the first place. There’s also a Donnie Yen spinoff focusing on Caine, and yes, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, drops June 6. She plays an assassin trained by the Ruska Roma and she’s out for revenge. Don’t expect ballet slippers and pirouettes — think headshots and heartbreak.
Stahelski also teased how this expanded universe plays into John Wick 5: “The John Wick TV show and the animation are big priorities. Our idea is to try some things and explore some threads and use those two properties to catapult us forward into the ideas for John 5.”
Translation: John Wick 5 might not make sense unless you’ve done the homework — and watched the spinoffs. Sounds pretty much like the MCU, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not the team-up movie with Tyler Perry’s Madea that Keanu Reeves jokingly teased.
Also arriving May 9 on digital is Wick Is Pain, a behind-the-scenes doc featuring Keanu Reeves, Stahelski, and the crew reflecting on how the franchise almost didn’t happen. Spoiler: it wasn’t always a guaranteed hit. In fact, it was saved by Eva Longoria (yes, the Desperate Housewives star).
No word yet on a Scott Adkins’ Killa Harkan spinoff, but come on — the man did a spinning back-kick in a fat suit. Give him a series already. He deserves a backstory.
So yes, Keanu Reeves is back as Baba Yaga in John Wick 5. Just don’t expect the same character. Are you ready for a version that might surprise you more than a headshot from across the room? Maybe he’ll be a sweet, lovable guy who uses his words instead of his fists this time? Probably not.
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