Although John Wick will return with two more installments, it seems that the saga will continue without part of the original team. The screenwriter Derek Kolstad will not be in neither the fourth nor the fifth tape.
Kolstad is the main “architect” of the John Wick universe, having written the first two films himself and together with Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams the third, called Parabellum.
The screenwriter has revealed the news in an interview with Collider, where he has said that he has not chosen to leave the saga. “No, it was not my decision. When you think about contractual matters, in the third I shared the credit with several people, and since they no longer need me to be there, they will not count on me again.”
Still, Kolstad doesn’t hold a grudge against anyone and remains very attached to director Chad Stahelski.
“I’m still friends with Chad and David Leitch. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m looking forward to seeing him. Seeing what the industry is and how things work, I think you have to thank everything and wish the best, and for the involved in the work. And yes, it is personal, so I will never speak ill of John Wick. I want this saga to survive and prosper. “
Although Kolstad is not going to continue writing the Keanu Reeves series, he works on many things. He’s already adapting the live-action version of the Hellsing anime for Amazon Studios, which he describes as “a dream project.” In addition, Kolstad is the sole writer for Bob Odenkirk’s upcoming action film Nobody, which launches this Friday.
