John Wick Writer not involved in upcoming sequels
When John Wick: Chapters 4 and 5 hit cinemas, they will do so sans the creator of the franchise, Derek Kolstad (the forthcoming Nobody), who penned the first three films alongside the likes of Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams. As it turns out, Kolstad wasn’t brought back by the studio for the anticipated fourth and fifth films.
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“At a certain stage of the studio will tell you, your creation is graduated, and you wish it well,” Kolstad told Collider in a recent interview. “I’m still close with Chad, still close with Dave, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m excited to see.”
“No, it wasn’t my decision,” he continued. “When you think contractually of these things, the third one I shared the credit with any number of people, they didn’t have to come back to me, and so they didn’t. And so you look at that and you could be hurt, and I would say if I was 20 years ago I would have been, but seeing what the industry is and how things go, I just believe that you bless everything and hope it all the best, and to the players involved who are doing other things elsewhere. And yeah, it’s personal, so I’m never going to talk shit about John Wick. I want this thing to survive and thrive.”
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The Keanu Reeves-led series has been a major hit for Lionsgate thus far, grossing nearly $600 million at the global box office and receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, with each subsequent installment garnering larger praise than its predecessor. Its success has not only spawned multiple sequels, but also a spin-off film Ballerina with Chapter 3 — Parabellum co-scribe Shay Hatten writing and Len Wiseman (Underworld) directing, as well as a Starz series centered on the underworld hotel The Continental, which is looking to debut sometime after the fourth film.
Currently in pre-production, John Wick: Chapter 4 is expected to be released on May 27, 2022.
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