John Wick: Chapter 2 introduced The Bowery King to this world of colorful criminals, giving Keanu Reeves another opportunity to work with Laurence Fishburne following their time together as Neo and Morpheus in the influential Matrix trilogy. Bowery King returned in this summer’s John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and allied himself with the eponymous protagonist at the very end of the threequel, setting the stage for John Wick: Chapter 4 in 2021.
Thus far no plot details for the fourth entry in this action-heavy franchise have been revealed yet, but considering how important Laurence Fishburne has become to this grand story, is it possible we could see more Matrix actors be included in John Wick: Chapter 4 or somewhere else down the line, like Carrie-Anne Moss or Hugo Weaving? Here’s what Chad Stahelski, the director of the first three John Wick movies, had to say on the matter:
You know, Keanu and I talk a lot about where we want to go. We didn't finish John Wick 3 and have this great big plan of how to go into Chapter 4. It's something we're constantly thinking about and we try not to force things. I certainly don't want to include a cast member to try to get somebody in as a gag and work a story around that. If we create these great characters and you know, in my head, it makes sense to put Carrie-Anne in there or Hugo Weaving or any of our Matrix compadres, and it works and if they're interested, that’s always a plus because they're friends and I think they're all excellent performers. So it's yet-to-be-seen.
While he won’t reveal yet whether or not he’s directing John Wick: Chapter 4, Chad Stahelski did tell ComicBookMovie that he will remain involved with the franchise “in some capacity” until “probably” his career is over. So rest assured, he’ll have a hand in casting for John Wick: Chapter 4 and any more sequels that might follow, and he sounds game to bring in more Matrix alumni in, provided it’s under the right circumstances.
As Chad Stahelski sees it, he doesn’t want to bring any other Matrix performers into the John Wick world just for the hell of it. First Stahelski and his team need to create characters for the next story, and then if they decide that someone like Carrie-Anne Moss is a good fit for a role, then they can move from there. Even if they don’t get as much screen time as someone like The Bowery King, at least they’ll have a meaningful presence as opposed to just being thrown in for a cameo appearance.
Casting news for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum didn’t emerge until early 2018, so presumably we’ll have to wait until early next year for official announcements regarding who John Wick: Chapter 4 is bringing in and who’s returning. There’s certainly no shortage of ways one of the Matrix people could be involved in the story, whether it’s as an ally or enemy to John, but we’ll just have to wait and see if they’re deemed the right fit for any these new players.
As for familiar faces, one can assume that along with Laurence Fishburne reprising Bowery King alongside Keanu Reeves’ John, we’ll also reunite with Ian McShane’s Winson and Lance Reddick’s Charon, who’ve been around since the first movie and, despite appearances at the end of Chapter 3, will ideally still be aiding John in his fight against The High Table, even though it’d have to be done discreetly.
It’s worth mentioning that Keanu Reeves is teaming up again with Carrie-Anne Moss and writer/director Lana Wachowski for The Matrix 4, which is reportedly beginning production in the coming months. So even if nothing works out on the John Wick side of things, they will be collaborating again soon.
John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in theaters on May 21, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its development. In the meantime, keep track of the rest of this year’s movies with our 2019 release schedule.
