John Wick is one of the most successful action thriller franchises across the globe. The franchise has taken the world by storm since the release of the first film in 2014. Starring Keanu Reeves in the titular role, the franchise has gained a massive following for its unique blend of high-octane action sequences, stylized visuals, and world-building. The franchise recently made its comeback with a big opening through its fourth installment. Fans were surely satisfied with the fourth chapter after years of waiting.
Fans were looking forward to the future of the franchise through more movies, but their hopes were shattered. As the director of the John Wick franchise, Chad Stahelski has reportedly turned down an offer to direct a fifth chapter of the franchise.
Chad Stahelski’s Contribution To John Wick Franchise
Chad Stahelski is well-known for making the John Wick franchise a success. Stahelski has successfully directed all four installments of the series, and the director cum stuntman’s contributions to the success of the superhit franchise cannot be overstated. As the director of the first John Wick movie, he was instrumental in crafting the unique style and aesthetic of the series.
Chad Stahelski On Turning Down John Wick: Chapter 5
In an interview, Stahelski revealed that he was offered the opportunity to direct John Wick: Chapter 5, but he declined the offer. He cited the reason for his refusal as being that he simply did not know how to continue the story. The director of the franchise revealed that the makers approached him to work on both chapters 4 and 5 simultaneously, but Stahelski was unsure if he would be able to give his best, working that way.
“God, to be honest with you, I don’t know. Not to cause any weird clickbait or anything like that, the studio first came to us and went, “Look, we would like to explore the option of doing 4 and 5 together.” And the daunting-ness of that at first is a little intimidating, [but] it’s also incredibly flattering. In an industry where everyone’s trying to get something made, and you’re trying to get your wacky ideas made and somebody to listen and give them a shot, to have people come to you and go, “Please make more of what you do?” I can’t thank Lionsgate enough for even presenting that opportunity.”
The director added that to his reason for refusal and stated that he needs time to pour his creative juices into the project, but doing two films back to back will surely exhaust it, resulting in the poor delivery of the fifth installment, which will eventually deteriorate the entire franchise.
“I’ve been a part of projects that have done two films together at once and, for me, I don’t know how to do it. Creatively, I don’t know how to get my head around that. I think the greatest part is that, after each John Wick, I took two years off to go live and get better; to travel, to read more, and to get better. I don’t know how to do a movie back-to-back and get better for the second one. You’d see John Wick 4 and then John Wick 4B, right? Same camera, same colors, same action, same style of choreography, and same storylines. I had no time to be influenced by life and bring life back in, so I just thought it was kind of a cheat.”
Stahelski’s decision to turn down the offer for John Wick: Chapter 5 is a reminder that directors should be allowed to make decisions that are true to their creative vision, rather than being forced into making movies that are simply motivated by commercial success.
John Wick: Chapter 4 was released on March 24, 2023, and is currently rolling in cinemas.
Source: Screen Rant
