The upcoming “John Wick – Chapter 4” is set to be the franchise’s longest to date. The three films have slowly grown with each entry – rising from 101 minutes of the first film to 131 minutes for the third.
The new film is expected to sit a good few minutes above the third (including credits), according to a new interview with Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski on Collider. The pair sat down with the outlet to discuss the film in the wake of the new trailer release earlier today.
Stahelski says he believes the new film makes the most of its runtime and all those involved have been watching it repeatedly:
“Look, I’ve watched this thing now, this version of the cut, close to 100 times, and another 100 by the end of the month at least. And this is the first one that we watch. I don’t get bored at all. It’s my own film. I know it’s weird to say, but I watch it, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m still in the movie.’ It doesn’t take me out. I don’t ever feel like, ‘F—, just end this thing already. I can’t watch it again.’
You know what I mean? Other than my other misgivings of choices, and scenes, and writing all that stuff, I feel pretty good about it. Keanu [Reeves] and I, and the really tight circle that I have around us, we’ve watched, every week. We have a little group. ‘Let’s just watch it one more time to make sure we’re not talking ourselves into something.'”
He says a lot of the reason for the length is the basic issue that they “We wrote a bigger movie. We wrote a longer script. We wrote at least a third more scenes than the last one”. Thus it was always expected to be more. Whilst it’s big and longer than prior entries, “it’s under a lot of the other big marks”.
One moment fans will look forward to is a fight scene between actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Donnie Yen. Both play old friends of John Wick who end up coming to blows at some point. Stahelski says getting the two to battle was a blast:
“When you have Hiroyuki Sanada and Donnie Yen going at it, it’s always fun. When you have guys that come from the action genre world, and they both love to act, it’s funny, they all have that similar thread. They just don’t want to tread on, they don’t want to be trope-y. They want to try something new. They’re very brave.
It’s not falling back into the same, ‘Let’s just do the style I’m good at.’ Hiroyuki is used to the Japanese way of doing things, very precise. And you have Donnie that’s really the epitome of Hong Kong action of, ‘Let’s just be great and make it up on the day of, and get the energy.’ So to put them together and to find a little organic mix was really fun.”
The new film also spans the globe in terms of locations and will include a scene shot at the Louvre Museum in Paris, along with filming locations in Berlin, Germany; Aqaba, Jordan; and Tokyo and Osaka in Japan.
“John Wick – Chapter 4” is due out in theaters on March 24th 2023.
