New ‘John Wick 5’ Update Reveals Keanu Reeves Isn’t Onboard With a Prequel

While the ending of John Wick 4 left the obvious impression that we had seen the last of Keanu Reeves in his popular role, fans were given a Christmas present in early April.

At CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas, Adam Fogelson, the chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, revealed that Reeves and director Chad Stahelski were working on John Wick 5. The news came a bit out of left field, but the initial belief was that it'd come after spinoffs such as the recently released Ballerina and Caine.

Regardless, given how John Wick 4 ended, it was bound to be a tall task for Stahelski and Reeves to finalize a game plan quickly. That's proven to be the case, and since the announcement, the comments from Stahelski about the fifth movie in the series have been candid, but they have also led to some concern for fans.

Actor Keanu Reeves poses upon his arrival at the Japan premiere of 'John Wick' in Tokyo on September 30, 2015. The US action movie will be screening from October 16 in Japan. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP via Getty Images)

YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/Getty Images

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, a question was posed to Stahelski, citing the director's plan not to renege on the ending of the fourth film, meaning John Wick will still be dead, and whether it's "evolved."

Stahelski first discussed the writing, but mentioned that "it's a matter of whether we crack [the story]."

"I’m not going to lie to you, it’s a bit of a conundrum. Me and Mike Finch — the writer on 4 who’s also writing 5 — we’ve got a pretty good story that I think is cool," Stahelski said.

"Once we have a 50-page book, and if we’re feeling it, we’ll sit with Keanu and shape this thing. Look, everybody seems to want it. It’s a matter of whether we crack it. We’re actively working on it. It’s just … is it going to be satisfying?"

Related: ‘John Wick’ Was 24 Hours From Collapse. Until One Actress Saved the Series

Along with a mildly worrisome comment about "cracking" the story, the director also tossed out the hypothetical that they "go down the road of John Wick 5" but "decide this isn't right."

"If we go down the road of John Wick 5 and build this story and decide this isn’t right, there are probably going to be 10 other things we’ll discover that we’ll use for other things," he said. "It’s a great creative exercise. It’s being in the room riffing with people we love. That’s nothing but wins."

The general approach leaves the feeling that there's plenty of uncertainty around John Wick 5, at least from Stahelski and possibly Reeves. He ultimately told The Hollywood Reporter that "the studio would very much will [the movie] into existence" at some point, and that "we're going to try" while citing that they do have a couple of really good ideas already.

Could John Wick 5 Go the Prequel Route? (L-R) Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski attend the "John Wick" 10th Anniversary Fathom Screening Q&A at AMC Century City 15.

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So by this point, fans are likely thinking about what you may consider the obvious route for the fifth installment of the John Wick series—a prequel. To the credit of THR, the question about a possible prequel was posed to Stahelski, but was promptly turned back.

Stahelski revealed that Reeves isn't interested in a John Wick prequel, and that he's in the same boat.

"Keanu and I are not interested in going backwards," Stahelski said of a possible John Wick prequel.

With Reeves and Stahelski both out on the idea of a prequel, and the latter planning to stick with the storyline that leaves John Wick dead, the director needs to formulate a highly unique game plan.

It's easy to understand why Stahelski is approaching John Wick 5 in the fashion he is. Fortunately, it doesn't appear there's a reason to sound the alarm at this point, but we also shouldn't expect significant news about the fifth movie anytime in the immediate future.

Related: 'John Wick' Director Breaks Silence on Keanu Reeves' Role in 'Caine' Spinoff