SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk.
There is no question that John Wick: Chapter 4 has a shocking ending. The franchise is presently at the peak of its popularity (as indicated by its spectacularly opening weekend at the box office), and it’s pretty crazy that the new movie concludes with the death of its main character. That being said, it’s a finale that the blockbuster wholly earns – and in recognizing that, it’s understandable why director Chad Stahelski didn’t go with the alternate ending for the film that was shot not ultimately used.
Stahelski told me about the version of John Wick: Chapter 4 that audiences aren’t seeing during a virtual interview earlier this month – a conversation that also included discussion of changes that were made to the movie’s post-credits sequence. While talking about the conclusion of the film in general and the big choices that were made, he beat me to the punch by telling me that the production shot an alternate ending. I followed up by asking if he could tell me about it, and the director said (referencing a John Woo classic),
It would've been more definitive one way or the other. You might have seen proof that somebody was still alive. We tested and were like, 'Yeah... that's not hardcore.' You've gotta stay Hard Boiled a little bit.
Chad Stahelski referenced Hard Boiled in our discussion of the post-credits scene as well, noting that he and star Keanu Reeves wanted to follow that movie’s roadmap by saying, “We gotta kill everybody.”
In the final scenes of John Wick: Chapter 4, the titular protagonist claims victory against the mysterious High Table when he kills the villainous Marquis (Bill Skarsgård) in a duel, but he is shown to seemingly be fatally wounded. John requests that Winston (Ian McShane) take him back home to New York, and when the action goes from France back to the United States, Winston and The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) are shown standing over John Wick’s grave.
Because we don’t actually see John die/see a body, the movie leaves it up to the audience’s interpretation as to whether the character is actually dead or if he is alive and he is putting the “John Wick” identity to rest. It’s a satisfying ending as is because it feels like a firm conclusion to the mission of vengeance that the protagonist started all the way back in the first movie, but that feeling would be ruined by getting confirmation that he is alive, so it can be said that the right choice was made.
At the very least it can be said that audiences haven’t seen the last of Keanu Reeves as John Wick, as we’ll be seeing him again soon as part of the ensemble cast of Ballerina – the spinoff starring Ana de Armas and featuring cameos from Ian McShane and Lance Reddick. The movie has completed production, but Lionsgate has not yet announced a release date.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is now playing in theaters everywhere, and you can learn about all of the films that are scheduled in the weeks and months ahead via our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.
