Keanu Reeves’ John Wick 5 Return Would Risk Repeating A Major Mistake From This Other Billion Dollar Action Franchise

John Wick 5 could see the return of Keanu Reeves in the titular role, but bringing him back would risk repeating a major mistake from another billion dollar action franchise. John Wick: Chapter 4 ended with John finally at peace after being granted freedom from the High Table, finally succumbing to all that he’s been through. His death seemingly marks the end of the franchise, offering a final note for his character. However, he will make a brief return in the upcoming spinoff Ballerina, where he will fight alongside Ana de Armas’ Rooney one more time.

But Ballerina takes place prior to the events of Chapter 4, giving Reeves a reason to come back to the role. Yet the success of the franchise has resulted in Lionsgate announcing that John Wick 5 is happening. While nothing about the sequel has been revealed yet, its title indicates Reeves would be expected to come back as John for another action-packed thriller. However, if John were brought back from the dead, or revealed to have been alive the whole time, the sequel would risk repeating a big mistake from another highly successful action franchise.

Related

The John Wick Franchise Has Already Appointed One Of Its Keanu Reeves Replacements

Keanu Reeves’ future as John Wick is uncertain, and an upcoming spinoff movie’s lead could be the perfect replacement for the franchise star.

John Wick 5 Bringing Back Keanu Reeves Would Repeat A Fast & Furious Problem

Dead Characters Coming Back Kills Tension

The Fast & Furious franchise is notorious for bringing back characters once presumed dead as major plot points for some of its later movies. This started with Letty Ortiz’s supposed death in Fast & Furious, later revealing she was alive with amnesia in Fast & Furious 6. One of the biggest recent examples is Han, whose death motivated much of the story behind Furious 7, despite him later being revealed to be alive in F9. Finally, the end of Fast X revealed Gisele was still alive despite seemingly falling to her death in the sixth movie.

The problem with bringing dead characters back to life so haphazardly is that it no longer creates a sense of danger for any of the franchise’s heroes. This is why, if John were revealed to be alive in John Wick 5, it would cheapen the ending of the previous movie. While it’s never clarified if John really died in Chapter 4, his gravestone allows plenty of interpretations, including one where he is finally at peace. However, by taking that interpretive ending away, a sequel would make his final quest feel less important and definitive.

The John Wick Franchise Has So Far Avoided Another Major Fast & Furious Problem

Action Scenes Haven’t Gotten Too Unbelievable Yet

However, despite the risk of bringing John back for another movie, the franchise has managed to avoid another core issue with Fast & Furious‘ later entries. Many of the later films in the car-focused saga have its characters doing wilder, death-defying stunts that continue to get more over-the-top than the last. This includes everything from Dom and Brian safely falling over 100 feet into a river in Fast Five, to Roman and Tej going into space in F9. Their adventures end up going from grounded in reality to ridiculous over the course of 10 films.

By contrast, the John Wick movies have continued to have bigger action scenes with every film, going from a home invasion in the first movie to an hour-long bloodbath in Chapter 4. However, despite some unrealistic elements throughout, the movies have never become so unbelievable that they feel too different from each previous installment. By excelling at this balance, the action franchise keeps itself from becoming as unrealistic as many Fast & Furious movies are. But that doesn’t mean doing something like bringing John back to life would make sense for the series.

Should John Wick 5 Happen After Four Great Movies?

It Would Need A Serious Change To Succeed

Although it would be exciting to see Reeves return as John for one more movie, John Wick 5 happening with him in the leading role would nullify the perfect story told over the course of the first four entries. Even though getting definitive answers about his whereabouts in Chapter 4 would be interesting, it comes at the cost of utilizing Fast & Furious‘ biggest mistake. Showing he’s alive also removes tension from his fights, as it’s clear he won’t sustain any life-threatening injuries, even at the end of the movie.

Even though John Wick 5 has been confirmed already, the way it presents itself should try to avoid bringing the titular character back like Fast & Furious has done with its cast. Perhaps the next entry in the action thriller series can be a prequel, focusing on how John first left the Table. This would allow Chapter 4‘s ending to remain intact while providing more action-packed sequences from Reeves himself. But, even in a precursor, the film would also have to avoid being too ridiculous, avoiding becoming like the racing franchise.

John Wick

Created by

Derek Kolstad

Cast

Keanu Reeves , Ian McShane , Lance Reddick , Willem Dafoe , Michael Nyqvist , Alfie Allen , Laurence Fishburne , Anjelica Huston , Bill Skarsgard , Mel Gibson , Donnie Yen