Summary
TheJohn Wickfranchise is on the verge of a comeback that could see the return of its biggest star despite the events of his last adventure, but one big name from the start of the film series likely won’t be coming back regardless.
John Wickhas been a mainstay of the one-man army action movie scene since the first film hit theaters in 2014, following its titular character’s reluctant return to his life as a hitman. The first film was a success and would spawn multiple sequels, culminating in a widely well-regarded fourth film that served as a finale to the whole saga. The fourth movie also saw the titular character succumb to his injuries after the film’s climactic duel, a fact that franchise leading manKeanu Reeves seems pretty darn convinced of himself.
Despite that very final and fitting end to theJohn Wicksaga, there’s still a lot more to come from the world the films built up, with more than one spinoff on the way and more in development. Thefranchise’s director has also given some positive updates onJohn Wick: Chapter 5, which may or may not bring Reeves back to reprise the titular role, but John Leguizamo, who plays engineer, illegal chop-shop operator and longtime friend of Reeves’ character, probably won’t be coming back. In a recent exclusive interview withCollider, Leguizamo weighed in on a potential return to the franchise, revealing that he’s not particularly enthused about how his character was treated in his last appearance. “Yeah…Well… I mean, I was cut out of 2, so I was not the happiest camper. I had a whole backstory and everything, but I don’t want to get into all that,” he revealed, going further when asked if he’d come back to return John’s car as promised in-universe. “I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.”
The John Wick Franchise Could Use A Returning Star Like Leguizamo
Considering the approach that the creative team is taking to a fifth entry requires that the writers find a new storyline to draw on completely removed from the conclusive end thatJohn Wick 4gave fans, there’s a good chance that Leguizamowouldbe invited back. As a character portrayed as a longtime friend and ally of the main character, any prequel or side story featuring Reeves would realistically call for Aurelio to return. TheJohn Wickfranchise isn’t the only one that’s drawn this sort of ire from the prolific star, asLeguizamo was slated to playSpider-Man: Homecoming’sVulturebefore ceding the role to Michael Keaton. Leguizamo was promised another role within the franchise but turned it down when it came around, as the role offered wasn’t worth his time.
While this is a pretty disappointing state of affairs, there’s still time for things to change, asJohn Wick 5is certainly a long way off at the moment. The real focus point of the franchise at the moment is the upcoming spin-offFrom The World of John Wick: Ballerina,which centers on Ana de Armas and her new character, Eve Macarro. Consideringthe franchise’s prior unremarkable spin-off is a bad sign forBallerina,that might change soon enough. Regardless of the developments on that end, fans can only hope that the creative team will be able to make things right for Leguizamo and get him back on board for moreJohn Wickin the future.
The first threeJohn Wickfilms are available to stream on Hulu, whileChapter 4is available to stream on Starz.
