Film Facts: 5 Things to Know About ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’

Keanu Reeves returns to the big screen as the legendary Baba Yaga in John Wick: Chapter 4. In the fourth installment of the action movie franchise, John Wick takes his fight against the High Table to new heights as he strives to survive and win his freedom.

Watch the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4 below:

Before we go see the new John Wick movie, here are a few facts about the movie that you might want to know about:

1. John Wick goes around the world on his mission to take down the High Table.

In the fourth installment of the John Wick franchise, the rogue assassin discovers that the path to defeating the High Table is by challenging its new leader, Marquis de Gramont, in single combat. Wick’s latest mission takes him across the globe, making allies and facing foes in four countries outside America, namely Japan, Jordan, Germany, and France.

2. Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada are joining the cast.

Making the new film more exciting is the involvement of international action stars Donnie Yen (Ip Man movies) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Bullet Train). Donnie Yen’s character Caine is reportedly an old friend of John Wick’s, but as the trailer may imply, their relationship is quite complex and Caine may be Wick’s most dangerous foe in the new movie.
Meanwhile, there aren’t many details about Sanada’s character Shimizu, but the actor might have teased that he’s an ally of John Wick in an interview with CinemaBlend: “I worked with Keanu before on 47 Ronin, almost like 10 years ago. So it was a great reunion, and then we have that kind of history in real life, so we could use that kind of atmosphere or chemistry into the movie. So that kind of relationship is in the movie too. So that’s the biggest hint.”

3. More celebrities to appear in the new John Wick movie.

Aside from Yen and Sanada who are set to play big roles in the film, viewers can also catch more familiar faces in the upcoming movie. Joining the returning cast members Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Ian McShane are stars Bill Skarsgård, known for playing Pennywise in the It movies; Clancy Brown who is known for voicing Mr. Krabs; Wynonna Earp‘s Shamier Anderson; and Japanese-British recording artist Rina Sawayama.

4. It will be the longest John Wick film.

The John Wick movies appeal to fans with their long action sequences that are pure adrenaline fuel, and while the first three films already feel packed with these epic fight scenes, fans can expect that the epic movie will offer more thrilling sequences to viewers as it will have the longest runtime in the franchise.

In an interview with Collider, director Chad Stahelski confirmed that it would be about two and a half hours, adding that they’re pretty confident it would not be too much for the viewers: “Look, I’ve watched this thing now, this version of the cut, close to 100 times, and another 100 by the end of the month at least. And this is the first one that we watch. I don’t get bored at all. It’s my own film. I know it’s weird to say, but I watch it, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m still in the movie.’ It doesn’t take me out. I don’t ever feel like, ‘Just end this thing already. I can’t watch it again.’ You know what I mean? Other than my other misgivings of choices and scenes, and writing all that stuff, I feel pretty good about it. Keanu [Reeves] and I, and the really tight circle that I have around us, we’ve watched, every week. We have a little group. ‘Let’s just watch it one more time to make sure we’re not talking ourselves into something.’”

5. John Wick’s world further expands with upcoming spin-offs.

Aside from the latest installment of the John Wick franchise, his movie universe further expands with two new titles. The first one is The Continental, a prequel series premiering on Peacock, while the other spin-off is the upcoming movie Ballerina. The movie is set between chapters 3 and 4 of the John Wick franchise, and will star Ana de Armas as an assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family.

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John Wick: Chapter 4 is coming to cinemas this Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Book your seats in advance and buy your tickets here.