John Wick: Chapter 4, the upcoming next installment in Keanu Reeves' eminent series of shooty man films, will reportedly be the longest in the franchise. Not content to simply boast the highest stakes of any John Wick film, it looks like this one aims to keep audiences glued to their seats for as long as it can.
Chapter 4 will see Reeves once again reprise his role as the titular former assassin. But things are a lot more dire now compared to his first outing in 2014, which saw John carrying out a personal quest of revenge against the men who stole his car and killed his dog. This time around, he'll be going after the iconic secret society known as the High Table, which seems to be his only way out of the deadly life he's been so desperately trying to leave behind.
As reported by Collider, John Wick: Chapter 4 will run at an impressive 2 hours and 49 minutes. That's over half an hour longer than Chapter 3, which already boasted a bit of heft in its runtime. Director Chad Stahelski, who's also working on a Rainbow Six movie, had previously asserted that Chapter 4 would be the longest in the series, and it looks like he's true to his word. Much of the film's marketing has focused on clocks and other time-related imagery. So it's fitting that the movie's length would follow suit.
The John Wick franchise has proven a pretty substantial success since its debut almost a decade ago. Starring Reeves as a former hitman who just wants to live in peace after losing the love of his life, each film has upped the ante as more and more deadly obstacles and opponents stand in the way of his departure from the assassin underworld. It's proven so popular that it's even got an upcoming spinoff movie starring Ana de Armas in the works. The spinoff endeavor also includes an upcoming series focused on The Continental, a high-class New York hotel that serves as a sanctuary for those in the aforementioned underworld.
Despite only being around since 2014, John Wick is already a mainstay among action movie fans. John himself is often considered one of the most iconic movie vigilantes in recent memory, and it's not difficult to see why. Stahelski originally served as Reeves' stunt double in The Matrix, which made his move to directing a bold one. But he quickly proved that his time doing stunt work had given him intimate knowledge of properly portraying action in movies. So between him and the always enjoyable Reeves, the only surprise is how it took so long for such a collaboration to happen.
From its charismatic actors to its sometimes unintentionally hilarious fight scenes, it's no wonder why John Wick: Chapter 4 is such a highly-anticipated film. Knowing that it's going to be a real hefty one to sit down and watch should increase that excitement all the more. Here's hoping it turns out just as fun as those that came before.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to release in theaters on March 24th, 2023.
Source: Collider