When the John Wick: Chapter 4 castings first started being announced/reported, it was all newcomers who were being revealed to join Keanu Reeves for his next outing as the assassin labeled the “Baba Yaga.” But in recent weeks, a few familiar faces from the first three John Wick movies have been confirmed to return for the now-filming Chapter 4, and the latest of the bunch is Ian McShane’s Winston, the owner of the New York branch of the Continental Hotel.
Word’s come in that Lionsgate has closed a deal for Ian McShane to reprise Winston in John Wick: Chapter 4. Here’s what director Chad Stahelski had to say to Deadline about McShane taking part in the forthcoming sequel:
I couldn’t be happier than to welcome Ian McShane back to John Wick: Chapter 4. He is not only an amazing actor but is an indispensable collaborator who has helped define the world of John Wick.
Considering that Ian McShane has been playing Winston in the John Wick film series since the beginning and is arguably the saga’s secondary protagonist, it would have been weird for him to suddenly sit out Chapter 4, especially given the way Chapter 3 - Parabellum ended. For those who need a refresher, after coming to a truce with The Adjudicator and having the Continental re-consecrated, Winston repeatedly shot John until he fell off the hotel’s roof, as an act to show his fealty to the High Table. Luckily John survived the fall, and the general consensus is that there was more to Winston’s action than just simple betrayal.
Either way, if Winston were to suddenly disappear during John Wick: Chapter 4, fans would be left scratching their heads. Let’s also not forget that at the end of Chapter 2, Winston gave John a marker for future use, so perhaps this next movie will finally see Keanu Reeves’ character turning that in for a favor. Outside of the John Wick franchise, Ian McShane’s notable credits include Deadwood, American Gods, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Kung Fu Panda.
Winston is the third established John Wick character who’s been confirmed to appear alongside the eponymous lead. We’ll also reunite with Lance Reddick’s Charon, the Continental’s concierge, and Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, who had John brought to him at the end of Chapter 3 and proposed that they take down The High Table together. Chapter 4’s cast also includes Rina Sawayama, Donnie Yen, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror.
John Wick: Chapter 4 will open in theaters on May 27, 2022, and for the Winston fans out there, a younger version of the character will be featured in Starz’s The Continental series. Learn what other movies will come out next year in our 2022 release schedule.
