John Wick 4 has cast Stowaway's Shamier Anderson. Lionsgate's neo-noir action franchise, the John Wick films kicked off in 2014 with Keanu Reeves portraying the titular, charismatic, dog-loving assassin. The first film was hailed by audiences and critics, particularly due to its meticulous choreography and high-octane combat sequences. Its success then spawned two sequels - John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) - both of which were critically and commercially well-received. Over the years, John Wick has cemented itself as a defining genre property, and with the third film grossing $327.2 million worldwide against a $75 million budget, the franchise has proven to be a golden goose for its studio. This is why Lionsgate isn't slowing down with the film series; John Wick 4 is already in development with a fifth movie also in the pipeline.
Originally primed to release in 2021, John Wick 4 was pushed back to May 27, 2022 due to production delays posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The film is currently in the pre-production stage, and it's already begun rounding out its cast by introducing new characters to expand the franchise's universe. Japanese pop-star Rina Sawayama has been finalized for an undisclosed role in the film, and Ip Man star and martial artist Donnie Yen was cast in John Wick 4 as one of the titular assassin's old friends. Now another prominent actor has been attached to the upcoming feature's ensemble.
As confirmed by Collider, Shamier Anderson has also joined the cast of John Wick 4. Well-regarded as the launch support engineer Michael Adams in Netflix's Anna Kendrick-starrer Stowaway, Anderson's role in John Wick 4 is currently being kept under wraps. But director Chad Stahelski has already expressed his excitement over teaming with the Wynonna Earp actor in the forthcoming movie.
“It’s a thrill to be working with an actor of Shamier’s calibre. He’s proven exceptional with drama and action and is a compelling presence on screen."
Anderson's addition indicates a step in the right direction for John Wick 4, which is now filling up its cast to commence principal photography this month. Clearly, the film has a lot to do before its release next summer. This includes a wayfaring shoot taking place in locations all over the world, including New York, Japan, and Paris. Earlier, Lionsgate had intended for John Wick 4 and John Wick 5 to be shot back-to-back, but in March, the studio giant announced that it wasn't going forward with that plan. Since Anderson has just been brought on board, it's not clear if Lionsgate intends to retain him for the fifth iteration as well. But it can certainly be a possibility, considering the earlier production plans.
While some may feel that John Wick 4 needs to slow down with its world-building after three movies, it's still important for the franchise to introduce some fresh talent with every sequel to prevent the premise from looking stale. That is, as long as the new characters are handled carefully. At the moment, Anderson reads as a fitting choice for John Wick 4, as he has already honed his skills in the neo-noir crime genre through his previous projects like City of Lies and Destroyer. Still, the forthcoming film is a big leap for Anderson, who hasn't acted in any major studio tentpoles before. But this shouldn't downplay the actor's credibility for the role, because whatever roles Anderson has played so far, he has made sure to shine in them. Stahelski is also clearly confident about roping in Anderson for the film, so it will be exciting to see what twist he brings to the action feature. Additionally, John Wick 4 is fully prepared to start filming, so we can expect to learn details of his character soon.
Source: Collider
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3uVjpVd
0 Comments