John Wick: Chapter 4 has the longest runtime in the franchise yet, but director Chad Stahelski doesn't think fans will have a problem with that. After the huge success of the first John Wick movie in 2014, Keanu Reeves' titular assassin returned for two even more successful sequels. Last seen in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Reeves, and Stahelski team up once again for John Wick: Chapter 4, which will see Wick continue his war against the High Table. When details about the movie began to emerge earlier this summer, it was revealed that the upcoming sequel will feature a rather long runtime.
Lionsgate has unveiled an action-packed trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4, starring Keanu Reeves, giving fans an idea of where the franchise is headed. In Chapter 4, John Wick discovers a way to defeat The High Table. Before she can win freedom from him, however, Wick must face a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into enemies. With fresh faces and extreme action sequences, John Wick: Chapter 4 will showcase the biggest showdown Wick has ever faced.
Director: Chad Stahelski
Writers: Shay Hatten, Michael Finch, Derek Kolstad
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård
In addition to Keanu Reeves, the film also stars Donnie Yen, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgard, and Ian McShane. Chad Stahelski, who directed the previous three films, is also directing the upcoming sequel.
In a recent interview with Collider, Chad Stahelski explains the length of John Wick: Chapter 4 and expresses his confidence that the movie will be as exciting as ever. Despite having seen it "close to 100 times," Stahelski reveals that he never felt the film was overdue and expresses his confidence that the runtime is definitely worth it.
The first John Wick movie was 1 hour and 41 minutes long, while John Wick: Chapter 2 had a longer running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes. 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was even longer at 2 hours and 11 minutes, meaning the next installment will be somewhere north of that. While the original John Wick featured a relatively modest budget and contained story, subsequent installments have opened up the world of the franchise significantly. The more ambitious John Wick sequels have expanded the story beyond New York City, which was the main location in the first film, to flesh out the franchise's vast world of assassins.
In addition to delving deeper into the global network of assassins, the obstacles facing Reeves' hero have also grown greater with each new film. The ending of John Wick: Chapter 2 establishes that Wick is "excommunicated", essentially putting a target on his head for all other assassins. The third film is longer than John Wick: Chapter 2 in order to further explore the consequences of Wick's actions, as well as introduce even more characters who will play major roles in moving the story forward. With John Wick: Chapter 3 seeing Wick betrayed and preparing for revenge, it's no surprise that John Wick: Chapter 4 is the longest in the franchise yet.
It's unclear how long John Wick: Chapter 4 will last, but hopefully the planned fifth installment won't drag out the runtime too much. Although most critics seem to agree that each John Wick movie has been better than the last, the exciting and action-packed nature of the movies means that avoiding the runtime becoming too unwieldy could help. to avoid audience fatigue from non-stop fight sequences. Regardless, John Wick: Chapter 4 is shaping up to be the most ambitious film in the franchise yet, and Stahelski is clearly feeling confident in the longer story the film tells.