'John Wick' director Chad Stahelski reveals his wish list for future actors to join franchise

The John Wick franchise has become known for packing its story with stars, ranging from well-known character actors to major Hollywood players. In John Wick: Chapter 4 alone we got new additions in the form of Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Bill Skarsgard, to name just three, and that's on top of series regulars like Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne. So, who else might pop up in future installments? Director Chad Stahelski has a long list.

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Speaking to The Direct earlier this month, Stahelski laid out a substantial list of stars he'd be interested in working with should John Wick 5 actually become a real movie that we'll get to see in theaters. It's a diverse group of big names, beginning with Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy. 

"There's a huge list, but just the first thing that came to mindset was Cillian Murphy," Stahelski said. "I'm a big Peaky Blinders fan. So, you know, I just think Cillian would fit right in. Colin Farrell is fantastic. Charlize Theron when she did Atomic Blonde, I saw that [and] went, ‘Oh my God, I gotta work with this woman. She's awesome. I worked with Michelle Yeoh way back on a commercial years ago, and I've been dying to work with her ever since. I'm such a huge fan."

Landing Michelle Yeoh in particular, fresh off her Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once, would be major get even by John Wick standards, but Stahelski wasn't done with his wishlist just yet. He also named Lovecraft Country and Birds of Prey star Jurnee Smollett, and a couple of Game of Thrones veterans, not to mention one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.

"There's a lot, I mean, there are so many great people out there, man," he said. "If Robert Downey happened to sit in my chair right here, I'd figure that one out. Peter Dinklage, I was a huge fan of his in Game of Thrones. Sean Bean. Some of those guys I think are magical. I’d die for a chance with any of those people."

Of course, whether or not Stahelski will actually get the chance remains an open question. After a seemingly definitive ending in Chapter 4, it feels like the main series of Wick films could be done, but that hasn't stopped Lionsgate from expressing interest in work on a fifth chapter, alongside spinoffs like Ballerina and the upcoming Peacock series The Continental. If it does happen, though, we can definitely expect Stahelski to go out looking to cross a few names off that wishlist.

Stream the first three John Wick films on Peacock now.