While “John Wick: Chapter 4” is reportedly the longest “John Wick” film yet, director Chad Stahelski ensures that the newest installment will use that extra runtime wisely.
“I love mythology,” Stahelski told Variety at the red carpet for “Day Shift” on Wednesday night. “I love a good myth. I don’t really believe — at least for the ‘John Wick’ movies — in a three-act structure. I believe in storytelling and leaving it. You know, we’ve always seen John Wick as Odysseus. So we take the time we need to tell the story. As long as we don’t fall asleep watching it, we keep it going. But I guess there is a bathroom limit.”
“John Wick: Chapter 4” finds Keanu Reeves back in the title role as the beloved head-smashing gun-fu action hero. While plot details for the fourth installment remain largely under wraps, an action-packed teaser that debuted at Comic-Con saw the title character once again brutalizing opponents with everything from handguns to nunchucks. Now, it seems that Stahelski is teasing that the fourth film will venture more into the mythology behind the Continental and the expansive world of assassins.
The last film in the franchise, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” saw a wide array of wild action set pieces, from ninjas on motorcycles to a fight in New York City horse stables. So what do you do to up the ante from ninjas on motorcycles?
“Ninjas in cars, I guess,” Stahelski said. “I don’t know! It’s always ninjas, man.”
Currently, Stahelski serves as producer on the Netflix original film “Day Shift.” The vampire-hunting movie, starring Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco and Snoop Dogg, is helmed by first-time director J.J. Perry. Stahelski and Perry met 33 years ago doing stunts together on “The King of the Kickboxers.” With “Day Shift,” Perry has become the newest member of their friend group to venture out of stunts and into feature film directing.
“That’s the thing about our circle of friends,” Stahelski said. “Everybody’s their own guy. Everybody helps everybody. The hierarchy is circular. Look, we came up with one of the best generations that have been in stunts for a long time. So for a bunch of us that used to get hit by cars for a living here on the red carpet, it’s pretty awesome.”
“Day Shift” premieres Friday on Netflix. “John Wick: Chapter 4” hits theaters on May 23, 2023.