The John Wick series is nearing its conclusion with John Wick: Chapter 4 being the penultimate movie for the franchise and the early reviews are a good sign.
But, while fans are excited to watch the next John Wick movie already, the film's director, Chad Stahelski, wants to take a break.
Chad Stahelski worked as a stuntman and coordinator before he got the opportunity to direct Keanu Reeves in the John Wick series. Stahelski co-directed the first movie with David Leitch before being the sole director for the succeeding entries in the series.
The director addressed the prospect of directing John Wick 5 in an interview with /Film. However, fans may have to wait a while before we see the movie being made. Stahelski also revealed that he is open to the possibility that John Wick: Chapter 4 will be his last.
"Somewhere, maybe somebody will do it," Stahelski said of directing John Wick 5. "I'm always saying, 'This is my last one, this will never happen again.' And I'll say that now: This is my last one."
However, the director clarified that he may be taking a long break before taking on John Wick 5.
"Every time I come back to a 'Wick,' there's been two or three years in between," the director said. "That's a lot of time for a human. You know how many pieces of art or music or museums or locations I've gone to in three years? Huge."
He adds, "I mean, think of what you do in a year. What would you do in three? Don't you think all that would influence you? I just don't think I'd be very good jumping right into something. I need a little bit of time to get better. I've got to go practice."
Stahelski clarified that he is not after the paycheck in directing the next film. The director wants to become better at his craft and expand artistically.
"I can't just direct, direct, direct. I'd have no time to expand," Stahelski explains. "I just think I'd get s***tier and s***tier. I just think, in loyalty to the franchise, I need to get a hell of a lot better before I try to find [another story]."
He continues, "Because otherwise, if you're not going to get better, if you're not going to do something different, if you're not going to try to expand and be artistically better, that's kind of lame just to do it for a paycheck."
Stahelski has a lot of projects lined up in the interim. The director is working on a reboot of the Highlander trilogy and a live-action adaptation of Ghost of Tsushima.
The director is also reportedly working on a movie adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six as well as 50 Cent's Vice City.
Stahelski did not reveal how long of a break he will be taking. Hopefully, he will start working on the John Wick 5 at the start of next year. In the meantime, a John Wick spin-off Ballerina will be premiering during the gap between Chapter 4 and 5.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is arriving on March 24.
