Director Chad Stahelski says John Wick: Chapter 4 is Keanu Reeves’ curtain call in a franchise that has transcended the story of its lone hero.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the last installment in the mainline series says franchise creator Chad Stahelski, who still pointed out he isn’t closing any doors on Keanu Reeves reprising the role.

John Wick: Chapter 4 had an ambiguous ending that left fans wondering if the franchise ended with the apparent death of its hero. This was half-resolved when a prequel TV show and film spinoff were being developed to expand the world controlled by the High Table.

The Continental and Ballerina attempt to build on top of the established lore, but many are still rooting for Keanu Reeves to return. In a Collider interview, franchise creator Chad Stahelski finally confirmed John Wick will not come back, sort of. This may seem bittersweet but it makes perfect sense since the titular character was mortally wounded at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4.

“It was just never the way Keanu and I saw it, so we just worked and worked and worked and cut down a bunch of sequences, and took some stuff out, and ended up with a movie that you now see in one film,” Stahelski said, confirming John Wick’s fate somewhat in John Wick: Chapter 4.

“But the idea was always that, yes, John Wick ends his journey like he does at the end of the movie, and that was gonna be the end of that for now.” The director neither confirmed nor denied if John Wick died in the last film, and the open-ended remark also hints that the character might still return.

Part 4 the Last of the John Wick Films?

Stahelski also addressed reports that a fifth John Wick installment is in the works, saying this was just a misinterpretation of news related to John Wick 4‘s production. “I woke up to that one saying I’m doing a [John Wick] 4 and 5,” he asserted.

“I think because, at the time in development, we had such a big idea that it was assumed that we’d try to break it. That was early in development, and then we started trimming and started moving things around, changing the story, and Keanu and I figured like, ‘Oh no…’ You know, people didn’t think we could do everything we wanted to in one film, so I think they kept that idea alive, and even into post.”

Stahelski settled the score on John Wick’s character arc, but this doesn’t mean fans wouldn’t see Reeves in a prequel story or a spinoff. The actor is reported to appear in 2024’s Ballerina in a supporting role, and Stahelski has confirmed a new TV spinoff is in the works.

The director also said he’s open to working with Reeves again, but clarified that John Wick would only return for very compelling reasons.

Starz is streaming John Wick: Chapter 4 in the U.S., while the rest of the John Wick series and The Continental are streaming on Peacock.