Keanu Reeves’ John Wick 5 Has a Concerning Update From Chad Stahelski That Doesn’t Inspire a Lot of Hope

John Wick director Chad Stahelski is having a hard time coming up with a worthy story for the fifth installment, especially after the success of Chapter 4.

Chad Stahelski offers quite a not-so-positive update on the progress of the fifth installment of John Wick, starring the legendary Keanu Reeves. The upcoming project was announced by Lionsgate at CinemaCon 2025, despite the story seemingly wrapping up in 2023.

With both Reeves and Stahelski slated to make a comeback, fans are excited to see what the two creatives have in store for them. Unfortunately, the recent revelation isn’t what most would want to hear, especially with such a tricky task of setting up a sequel after a good ending.

Chad Stahelski shares upsetting update on John Wick 5

Keanu Reeves in John Wick in a still / Credits: Lionsgate

The John Wick franchise emerged as one of the biggest action franchises in Hollywood today, almost on the same level as comic book film empires such as Marvel and DC. It was considered a sleeper hit because it wasn’t a huge success when it premiered, but over time, it gained a cult following. Now, it has its own cinematic universe.

Because there was high demand for Keanu Reeves to return, the fifth movie finally happened. Chad Stahelski is at the helm again, but this time, he’s facing a challenge trying to crack the story.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the director admitted the movie’s scribes have been having a tough time coming up with a worthy sequel.

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. 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?

This is a bummer to hear, but it is also understandable since John Wick 5 isn’t a continuation of the High Table arc, as they have already sealed that story in the previous movie.

They weren’t initially interested in making another for fear they might not satisfy the audience, but they owe the franchise’s success to the people, so their current mission is to find that voice and let it lead them in the right direction.

Why Keanu Reeves initially didn’t want to return for John Wick 5

Keanu Reeves in John Wick / Credits: Lionsgate

Reeves wasn’t too keen on returning for John Wick 5 months ago. Sharing his personal hesitations while speaking on CBS Mornings, he reasoned his aging body could not afford him to make another action movie.

You can never say never, but my knees right now are saying, ‘You can’t do another John Wick.’ So, my heart does, but I don’t know if my knees can do it.

Now that the movie is in development, it will be an uphill battle for both Stahelski and Reeves. They had set the bar too high, and there’s no other way to make this new project work but to beat their own record.

John Wick movies are currently available to watch on Fubo and Peacock.