Why John Wick 4’s Laurence Fishburne Thinks It’s The Best Installment In The Keanu Reeves Franchise

If you’re a fan of the John Wick franchise, you probably don’t need to be hyped up about John Wick: Chapter 4 all that much. The three previous installments have upped the action game each time, giving John Wick some of the most incredible fight sequences of any modern franchise. Still, it’s hard to not get excited to hear Laurence Fishburne call the next entry in the Keanu Reeves-led movies the “best one.” 

Speaking with Variety, Fishburne says that when he read the script he felt the fourth John Wick was the best movie in the series so far. Specifically, he calls out some early set pieces in the story that apparently blew him away, as well as some brand new characters that John Wick: Chapter 4 will introduce. Fishburne explains…  

Number four is gonna be ... honestly, when I read it I was like, this is the best one, one the page, ... it just was. From the way that it opens, there are like 3 or 4 really incredible set pieces that are just like, woah. There are new characters, one, in particular, that's so much fun. Well, actually three are crazy fun, and yeah, you know, I got to be in it again. I come back from the dead.

As far as incredible set pieces go, that’s exactly what the John Wick movies are known for, so fans will certainly expect some incredible action. At the same time, reading about what is supposed to happen during these action sequences is one thing, actually bringing them to life will be something else. Still, with action movie expert Chad Stahelski returning to direct the new movie, there is no reason not to expect that the action in the next film won’t live up to expectations.

As far as which new character, or characters, Laurence Fishburne is talking about here, it could be almost anybody. Beyond himself and Keanu Reeves, we know that Ian McShane and Lance Reddick will both be back for the next movie. Every other actor in the John Wick: Chapter 4 cast we’re aware of is brand new, so Fishburne could be talking about Clancy Brown, Bill Skarsgård, Scott Adkins, or anybody else. 

Fishburne was introduced in John Wick: Chapter 2 as The Bowery King. In Chapter 3, the Bowery King appears to be killed by the Adjudicator, but at the end of the film we learn that he survived his wounds, and he saves a nearly lifeless John Wick, which based on the John Wick Chapter 4 trailer,  is where it appears the next film will pick up.  

Hearing Laurence Fishburne say that John Wick: Chapter 4 is the best one yet, based solely on the script, is actually really good news because the next entry will be the first in the series that has a script not written Derek Kolstad. As such, there was the possibility that the next movie could be a drastic departure from what came before, but it certainly sounds like fans can rest easy. 

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.