'John Wick 4' Cast Adds Pop Star Rina Sawayama In Her Feature Debut
John Wick Chapter 4 has a new cast member. Rina Sawayama, a Japanese-British singer-songwriter and model, will co-star along with Keanu Reeves in the action sequel from director Chad Stahelski. It's not clear how big Sawayama's role is, or who she's playing, but she'll be making her feature debut in the flick. Production on John Wick 4 will begin this summer in France, Germany, and Japan. At one point, the plan was to shoot John Wick 4 back-to-back with John Wick 5, but that's no longer happening.
Deadline is reporting that singer Rina Sawayama will make her feature debut in John Wick Chapter 4. "I'm so glad to have Rina on board to make her feature film debut in John Wick: Chapter 4," said director Chad Stahelski said. "She's an incredible talent who'll bring so much to the film." Since I'm an unhip old man, I will confess here I have never heard of Rina Sawayama, but if you have, and you're a fan, this is no doubt good news for you. Congrats, reader!
When we last left John Wick (Keanu Reeves) he had been shot repeatedly and fell off a roof. But since you can't keep John Wick down for long, he survived, and he's no doubt going to want some revenge. That's kind of his whole thing. Shay Hatten and Michael Finch wrote the script for John Wick Chapter 4, and production on the film is set to begin in France, Germany, and Japan this summer. Once upon a time, John Wick Chapter 4 was set to open May 21, 2021, AKA this week. But of course, the pandemic got in the way of that.
Now, the film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 27, 2022. The original plan was to film John Wick Chapter 4 and John Wick Chapter 5 back-to-back, but that's no longer happening. Meanwhile, the John Wick franchise is set to expand. There's a spin-off film called Ballerina in the works, and then there's the prequel TV series The Continental.
It's kind of amazing to see how far the franchise has come. I can distinctly remember that before the first film arrived, it was met with suspicion. The premise – a guy starts shooting people who killed his dog – sounded somewhat goofy, and the poster, which featured Keanu Reeves's head turned into a bomb, complete with a fuse (or a wick, I guess?), was downright laughable. And then John Wick came out and blew everyone away with its slick action, cool style, and interesting world-building. The series has only gotten bigger from there, and I'm excited to see where it goes.