John Wick: Chapter 4 – First look shows the beloved assassin in trademark look, albeit in a different mood

Keanu Reeves is all set to return as the brooding assassin in the fourth and much-awaited installment of the John Wick series. Titled John Wick: Chapter 4, the first look of the sequel was released earlier today by Lionsgate Studios revealing Reeves’ trademark black-suit avatar but bowed down at a church and surrounded by candles and an aura of Zen.

“And so it begins,” said the Lionsgate post on Instagram as it beckoned a flow of comments from the eagerly waiting fans. Many would ask for the first teaser or trailer to be dropped soon with others showering love over the Matrix actor: in short, the hype surrounding the release of John Wick: Chapter 4 is unanimously positive at the moment.

One could expect the upcoming film to pick up right where John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was left off with Wick teaming up with The Bowery King (played by Laurence Fishburne) to challenge the mighty High Table – the final moments of Chapter 3 shows John Wick sustain injuries after falling off the top of the Continental Hotel. Lance Reddick (Charon in the franchise) and British actor Ian McShane (Winston) will be part of the cast to reprise their respective roles, and joining the lot are Japanese-British pop star Rina Sawayama, Bill Skarsgard, Shamier Anderson, Donnie Yen, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

The John Wick franchise has been created by screenwriter Derek Kolstad who also wrote the first three films with Chad Stahelski directing them all. According to the latest reports, Kolstad will be replaced Shay Hatten and Michael Finch as screenwriters for the upcoming film with Stahelski retaining his credit.

The slightly unprecedented success of the first installment could be deemed a strong reason for the makers to extend the storyline and turn it into a successful franchise. While John Wick (2014) grossed close to $90 million worldwide, the 2017 sequel (Chapter 2) made greater strides by earning over $170 million globally. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, released in 2019, was made on a budget of $75 million and ended up collecting close to $328 million at the box office.