We've got some good news and some bad news for John Wick fans out there. The good news here is that John Wick just got a new release date. The bad news is that it's been delayed from its original slate by nearly a year to spring 2023.
What's taking John Wick 4 so long?
After flying under the radar for most of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Keanu Reeves, who is perhaps best known for starring in The Matrix trilogy movies, went through a bit of a career renaissance when he starred in Chad Stahelski's sleeper hit, John Wick, back in 2014. The movie, which was heavy on movement, tight action sequences, as well as an emotional storyline with an interesting world, went on to spawn an entire franchise - and arguably influence action movies going forward.
Since then, John Wick has starred in two sequels in 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2 and 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.
With all three films grossing roughly around $600 million at the global box office, it's safe to say that the series has been a huge hit. Unfortunately, just as fans are eagerly awaiting more news about John Wick 4, Lionsgate just confirmed that the fourth installment has been delayed to March 24, 2023.
The video, which appears to be a clip taken from the end of the third John Wick film, frames the new release date.
Lionsgate did not explain why it delayed John Wick 4 to 2023. Perhaps it might have something to do with sharing a release month with the MCU's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Either way, this is extremely disappointing news for fans to hear. Most had expected the movie to premiere on May 27, 2022, as expected, especially after it wrapped up filming earlier this year with Keanu teasing the opening for the film.
Ultimately, we can only hope that the delay is all for the better. Chad Stahelski might have requested more time for the film to do re-shoots and edit it so that he can achieve his vision for the series' fourth film.
Now that John Wick 4 has been delayed, we can expect Lionsgate to confirm the delay of John Wick 5 as well.
In the meantime, Keanu Reeves' fans can keep themselves busy by watching his latest movie, The Matrix Resurrections. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it should still be fun to watch for fans of the original trilogy. It arrived in theaters on December 22.
