By Pierre Lorenz on March 29, 2023 at 08:52 am

"John Wick: Chapter 4" has been running in cinemas since last week. The ending in particular may have taken some fans by surprise, which is why the Internet has been filled with speculations for several days now. Following the theatrical release, all sorts of news were published by those responsible, many of which also address the future of the franchise.

American film producer Joseph Drake, who is the chairman of Lionsgate, last Sunday talked about what awaits fans after "John Wick 4". According to Drake, they are not ready to move on from Keanu Reeves just yet. He said there are several possibilities as to how to proceed after the end of the fourth installment.

At least one appearance by Reeves in an upcoming "John Wick" spin-off has been confirmed for quite some time. He is expected to return in front of the camera in the feature film "Ballerina". The movie is currently slated for spring or summer 2024, so we'll have to wait a bit longer. Filming on the spin-off series "The Continental", which revolves around the former life of hotel manager Winston, is also said to be almost done, although nothing has yet been heard about Keanu Reeves' potential involvement. Since the series is set many years before the current film series, an appearance - at least beyond a short cameo - is rather unlikely. "The Continental" is scheduled for this fall, according to Drake. So, to what extent can the franchise keep Keanu around besides the short appearance that has been confirmed so far?

When it comes to director Chad Stahelski, he could easily imagine a "John Wick 5". He affirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he loves the film series, but currently sees no good reason to produce another sequel. However, he could not rule out the possibility either of him and Keanu meeting in a bar five months from now and coming to the decision to make a fifth installment after all.

A third person who has come forward in the past few days is producer Erica Lee. She holds out the prospect of announcing a new film in the "John Wick" universe in the next 2 months - as there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes as we speak. She also expressed optimism about a fifth "John Wick" and a second "Ballerina" film.

Will those in charge possibly develop a film based on the post-credits scene from Part 4? At least Caine actor Donnie Yen is upbeat about reprising his role in an interview with Variety. We remain excited to see what other news we can look forward to in the coming weeks.