Keanu Reeves wants John Wick to suffer in fourth installment

The fan-favourite John Wick franchise has no shortage of heart-pounding thrills, intense car chases, and high-octane action. Keanu Reeves has more than earned his keep as an action star. According to John Wick director Chad Stahelski, however, the upcoming fourth movie will raise the bar even higher. 

In an interview with Collider, director Chad Stahelski revealed how John Wick 4 raises the stakes for Keanu Reeves’ titular protagonist, as the duo had one goal - to make Wick suffer. 

The director told Collider, "I think Chapter 4 is a good continuation of all three previous films, and it's got a bit of a conclusion to it, which is great. We introduce a ton of new characters that have a lot to say about John Wick from his past and from, obviously, present. I think it's a brotherhood, it's hope. It's what life would really be like as a bit of an existential crisis with John, and I think that's the fun part of the movie."

“We keep finding new and interesting ways to have John Wick suffer,” Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter of the franchise that has minted over $579 million at the worldwide box office. In the said film, Reeves does much of his own stunt work and fight choreography alongside Stahelski. “That’s where the action comes from. Figure out how to make him suffer, and then design backward.”

Reeves added, “I’ve called out a couple of things, like, let’s get on a horse in the desert. Let’s drive a little bit.” Stahelski told Collider the Matrix star has learned some new tricks as well. "Keanu's got some new skill sets, which is good," he told the publication. "He's got some new props, which are great. We were fortunate enough to land some very interesting stunt teams from all over the world. And each stunt team from the different countries, the Japanese stunt team, the French stunt team, the Bulgarian stunt team, they all have a little bit of flavor of motion, and I think that helps change the set pieces as well. When you get all these different experts and different martial arts, it forces us to adapt the choreography to show different things. It's fun."

The filmmaker and the actor also shed light on whether the fourth installment of the franchise will be the last time we see John Wick on the big screen. “We just attack one at a time,” Reeves said. Stahelski added: “We do it chapter by chapter. Just like an author; write the chapter, scratch head, write next chapter.”

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