‘John Wick’ Star Excited For Franchise Return After Missing Out On Another Keanu Reeves Sequel

If there’s one other thing that the John Wick franchise isn’t lacking besides next-level stunt work and action, it’s colorful supporting characters. Since the first film in the series, each subsequent entry has managed to expand the world of assassins and gun-fu even more with new influential figures. Whether it’s a member of the high table like Bill Skarsgard’s character, Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, or John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves) fellow hitmen such as Caine (portrayed brilliantly by Donnie Yen), there has always been a compelling new character in each film to challenge or support John in an interesting way. Laurence Fishburne‘s Bowery King was one figure of support, and he’s more than willing to return for the recently announced John Wick: Chapter 5.

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While speaking to ComicBook.com, Fishburne was asked if he would return to play the Bowery King in John Wick: Chapter 5. Fishburne played it cool, simply answering, “It’s possible,” and when asked if he would prefer to return for a fifth Matrix film or John Wick, the actor would respond, “It doesn’t matter which one is first, it’s chicken or egg for me.” Fishburne has since revealed that he made himself available for Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections. However, surprisingly, he was not asked to return, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead portraying a new version of Morpheus.

The Bowery King was first introduced in John Wick: Chapter 2, playing a key role in helping John Wick kill a member of the High Table that would trigger the conflict for the following two films in the series. While Fishburne would play a much smaller role in John Wick: Chapter 4, the character still had incredibly entertaining scenes and lines of dialogue, delivered with aplomb by Fishburne, making him feel almost like a necessity for whatever Chad Stahelski and co. have in store for the fifth installment.

‘John Wick: Chapter 5’ Has a Lot Riding On It

The announcement of several new John Wick spin-offs and Chapter 5 at CinemaCon has excited plenty of fans of the action franchise. An anime prequel focusing on John Wick’s impossible task feels like the perfect opportunity to showcase the action of the series in a new medium. Moreover, the Caine spin-off makes perfect sense to showcase Donnie Yen, one of the biggest Hong Kong action stars. However, John Wick: Chapter 5 is the only one that some fans have shown reservations about, given the emotionally cathartic conclusion of Chapter 4.

Executives on stage at CinemaCon assured fans that director Chad Stahelski and franchise star Keanu Reeves wouldn’t come back to the series if there wasn’t a good story to tell. The return of the original creative team is always a good sign for a series like John Wick, which has had the rare pleasure of being both critically acclaimed and financially successful, with each installment making more money at the box office than the last. With story details under wraps, one can only assume that even more high-octane action is coming.

Overall, Fishburne’s inclusion in John Wick: Chapter 5 seems inevitable, especially since he is one of the last characters besides Ian McShane’s Winston to see John alive and visit his grave. Moreover, the Bowery King is the one taking care of John’s dog, and an emotional reunion between a man and his dog feels necessary in a series as pet-oriented as John Wick.