John Wick director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves originally planned on ending the franchise on a cliffhanger.
Speaking to Total Film Magazine in the run-up to the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, Stahelski explained how Reeves' super-assassin series was never intended to go as far as it did, and they were set on ending the story with the cliffhanger conclusion of 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. "After number three, Keanu and I were both fairly done," Stahelski said. "We kind of wanted to just end on a cliffhanger."
Chapter 3's conclusion saw Wick defeat his enemies inside The Continental before being shot by Winston (Ian McShane) and allying with the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) to take down the High Table. At the time of the film's release, Stahelski teased a not-so-happy ending for Wick. "John may survive all this shit, but at the end of it, there's no happy ending. He's got nowhere to go," Stahelski said.
"Honestly, I challenge you right now, here's a question to you: How do you fucking want me to end it?" he continued. "Do you think he's going to ride off into the fucking sunset? He's killed 300 fucking people and he's just going to [walk away], everything's okay? He's just going to fall in love with a love interest? If you're this fucking guy, if this guy really exist[ed], how is this guy's day going to end? He's fucked for the rest of his life. It's just a matter of time."
John Rick Returns for a Fourth Film
2014's John Wick began as a simple story of a retired hitman seeking revenge for the death of his puppy. Eventually, the world of Wick expanded beyond the premise to see his run-ins with past acquaintances and fresh new enemies looking to make a name for themselves by bringing the super-assassin down. The franchise has become so wildly popular that Stahelski teased the prospect of sending Wick to space.
John Wick: Chapter 4 will see Reeves' title character discover a path to bring down the high table while facing a new threat with powerful alliances around the world. The sequel is set to be a continuation and a conclusion to Wick's story. "I think Chapter 4 is a good continuation of all three previous films, and it's got a bit of a conclusion to it, which is great," Stahelski said.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to hit theaters on March 24.
Source: Total Film