Director Chad Stahelski Wants The Audiences To See John Wick As Odysseus In Chapter 4
One of the most impressive aspects of the "John Wick" series is its commitment to world-building. Back when the first film came out nearly a decade ago, the story was relatively simple. Ex-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) comes out of retirement to unleash a wave of hot fury against those who murdered his dog. That alone would have made the film a hit, but to sweeten the deal, we were also introduced to how the world of assassins operates between the cracks. Through the assassin-owned hotel known as the Continental, the operation of their own currency, rules, and relationship dynamics are able to flourish out in the open. It's become so popular that there are currently two spin-off projects in the works.
Each subsequent "John Wick" film has been able to pry open a bigger assassin underground than the previous one, without losing sight of Reeves' place in the story. In fact, they often play into the next step of Wick's journey to return to his blissful retirement. Director Chad Stahelski loves adding the kind of mythology needed to make this series feel different from the rest of the pack.
"John Wick: Chapter 3" left our titular hero in yet another tough position. Having been left for dead, he's pissed and ready to lay out some more vengeance. However, in "Chapter 4," it would seem that Wick's journey might have a light ahead at the end of the tunnel. Life and death on the journey for redemption is what this franchise has always been about, which is why the stuntman turned influential action director wants you to have a timeless literary figure in mind when you watch it.
'I love mythology'
In a 2022 red carpet interview with Variety, Stahelski talked about how he's always envisioned Wick as the legendary Greek myth Odysseus:
"I love mythology [...] I love a good myth. I don't really believe — at least for the 'John Wick' movies — in a three-act structure. I believe in storytelling and leaving it. You know, we've always seen John Wick as Odysseus. So we take the time we need to tell the story. As long as we don't fall asleep watching it, we keep it going. But I guess there is a bathroom limit."
With the sequels keeping in line with chapter titles, it plays like one big story. Each installment bleeds into the other as if you just finished reading another one of Wick's adventures, and are ready to see where he's taken next. This hidden underground of hired guns in New York City is a quaint past now, for by the time Wick had to travel to the middle of the Sahara Desert to meet the enigmatic head of the High Table, it became clear that this series was telling a uniquely mythical tale.
The stakes have only been raised with "Chapter 4," as Wick is given a choice to engage with the mysterious Marquis (Bill Skarsgård) in a one-on-one duel that will decide his fate. At one point, Wick was allowed to rest after coming home from his impossible task, but much like his literary counterpart, the journey back to "Ithaca" will require a string of challenges along the way. I think we've just about reached his journey to the underworld, given the sheer scope of the High Table.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" is set to hit theaters on March 24, 2023.