We Refuse to Believe That 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Is the Last Film in the Franchise

Don't mess with John Wick's dog. Seriously. The assassin has been on a revenge mission for three movies and counting. Now, the fourth installment is set to release on March 23, 2023, four years after John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.

But is John Wick: Chapter 4 the last one? Say it isn't so!

Distractify was on the scene at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, where the hype for John Wick: Chapter 4 was palpable.

Reps for the film were handing out holographic John Wick 4 posters and the line to see star Keanu Reeves seemed several miles long — wouldn't you line up for hours to see Keanu in the flesh? Here's what we learned about John Wick: Chapter 4 (possibly?) being the last film in the franchise.

In August 2020, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed that a fifth film was in the works. While it was initially intended to be shot back-to-back with John Wick: Chapter 4, Lionsgate opted to delay production in March 2021 to focus solely on the fourth installment. Since then, there haven't been many updates regarding when the fifth movie will begin production.

Unfortunately, acclaimed director Chad Stahelski recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and announced that John Wick: Chapter 4 is the last one for a while. He shockingly told the outlet, "In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment. We’re going to give John Wick a rest."

"I'm sure the studio has a plan. If everyone loves it and it goes kooky, then we'll take a quiet minute," he said.

Chad continued, "Wicks always, for some weird reason, always get the latest release date in Japan. It's always like, three months later. If it's the same this time, we'll do a Japanese tour and release the movie in September."

"Keanu and I will take the long trip to Tokyo, we'll sit in the Imperial Hotel Scotch Bar and go, 'What do you think?' We'll have a couple 20-year-old whiskies and write some ideas on napkins. If those ideas stick, maybe we'll make a movie," he added.

Mark your calendars because John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on March 23, 2023.

The official synopsis is as follows: "John Wick (Keanu Reeves) takes on his most lethal adversaries yet in the upcoming fourth installment of the series. With the price on his head ever increasing, Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Osaka to Berlin."

Chad Stahelski noted in another John Wick: Chapter 4 interview with Variety that viewers should liken John Wick to the legendary Odysseus in terms of his ongoing story arc. He stated that he "didn't believe, at least for the John Wick movies, in a [traditional] three-act structure."

As for the potential for a happy ending for the titular character? Don't bet on it. As Chad bluntly said to IndieWire, "Do you think [John's] going to ride off into the f--king sunset? He's killed 300 f--king people and he's just going to walk away, everything's OK? He's f--ked for the rest of his life. It's just a matter of time."

John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on March 23, 2023.