The John Wick franchise has a great roster of some of the most hardcore characters in movie history. With world-class hitmen, friendly concierges and wise hotel managers, there’s no shortage of captivating characters to explore the stylish world of John Wick. But what are these characters without the phenomenal actors who bring them to life? The action franchise has had its fair share of well-known and brilliantly talented actors throughout its three films. Still, no movie in the hit franchise has had a better cast or cooler roster of characters than the upcoming one John Wick: Chapter 4.
Bringing back some familiar faces John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to introduce some new characters to the franchise that will tangle with the Baba Yaga. With that, here’s a quick guide on the new and returning characters of the John Wick franchise, as well as the amazing cast that brings said characters to life.
John Wick – Keanu Reeves
Again, the legendary Keanu Reeves returns to his greatest role yet, John Wick. The former assassin, dubbed “the Baba Yaga”, is currently being hunted by the High Table and sends John on a world tour as he attempts to outwit the High Table to finally earn his freedom again. The role of John Wick revitalized Keanu Reeves’ career and cemented the actor as one of today’s top action stars. Reeves is perhaps most famous for his roles in The Matrix, Point Break, Speed, Constantineand the Bill and Ted franchise, but his role as John Wick certainly blew all of his previously iconic roles out of the water, and we’re always excited when we see him return to his role.
Caine – Donnie Yen
Fans have been campaigning for years to see the martial arts legend, Donnie Yen makes his debut in the action-packed John Wick franchise. Fortunately, our wish has been granted. Donnie Yen will debut his role as Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4. Caine is a visually impaired High Table agent, who has a history with John that we are eager to discover. The Hong Kong action superstar who brought MMA into mainstream cinema has had an impressive martial arts film career. Starring IP man movies, Flash point, SPLAnd Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyto name a few.
Winston-Ian McShane
The great hotel manager, Winston, returns to the franchise in John Wick: Chapter 4, again played by the phenomenal Ian McShane. The manager of the Continental Hotel in New York and an old friend of John’s, was last seen shooting John off the roof of the Continental Hotel, at the end of John Wick: Chapter 3. Crazy as it may seem, Winston really saved John from the High Table. Ian McShane is perhaps most famous for his roles on TV shows such as the BBC’s Love, dead wood, and of course American gods. Similarly, McShane has also had quite a bit of film work. Especially in Sexy beast, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tidesas well as lending his voice in the former Kung Fu Panda movie.
Charon – Lance Reddick
Returning to the franchise, for what may sadly be the last time, Lance Reddick is back as the New York Continental Hotel’s friendly concierge, Charon. Sadly, Lance Reddick recently passed away with Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 4 director and the rest of the cast who dedicated the film to him. Reddick is most famous for appearing in iconic TV series such as The wire And Lostwith his most recent role being that of Netflix resident evil series. He will also appear in the upcoming Disney+ series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, like ballerinathe John Wick spinoff starring Ana de Armas.
The Bowery King – Laurence Fishburne
The eccentric underground crime lord, the Bowery King, returns once more to aid John, as he and John team up to bring down the High Table after both are left for dead. Lawrence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves have a lot of shared history together, as the two both had starring roles The Matrix movies. In addition to his fantastic role as Morpheus in The Matrix. Fishburne also starred in such classics as, Boyz n The Hood, Apocalypse now like What Has Love Got To Do With It, which earned the actor a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.
The Marquis De Gramont – Bill Skarsgård
A brand new character to the franchise, The Marquis De Gramont is a powerful member of the High Table, tasked with cleaning up the mess of the past three films. Bill Skarsgard burst onto the scene with his terrifying rendition of Pennywise the dancing clown in the two It movies. More recently, Skarsgård returned to the horror genre with his role in Barbarian.
Shimazu – Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada is yet another iconic martial artist that fans of the franchise have been waiting to debut in the John Wick franchise, and his role as Shimazu in John Wick: Chapter 4 couldn’t be more perfect. Shimazu is an old friend of John’s and acts as manager of the Continental Hotel for Osaka. Many may recognize Hiroyuki Sanada for his roles as Scorpion in 2020 Mortal KombatThe Elder in David Leitch’s Bullet trainas well as Ujio in The last samurai. Sanada also previously collaborated with Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin.
The Tracker – Shamier Anderson
The Tracker is one of the most mysterious characters and assassins in the franchise, but what we do know is that like many other characters before him, he wants to kill John Wick. Shamir Anderson is perhaps most recognizable for the supernatural western series Wynonna Oorpthe Jesse-Owens biopic Race, as well as Halle Berry’s directorial debut bruisedon Netflix.
Killa – Scott Adkins
Among the many actors fans have been waiting to make their debut in the John Wick franchising, Scott Adkins was definitely at the top. Martial arts legend Scott Adkins stars as Killa, the German head of the High Table. Scott Adkins is an actor most viewers will recognize, and is an actor that any fan of action movies will praise. Adkins’ role as Boyka in the Undisputed movies is undoubtedly his most iconic, with his appearances in The consumers 2, Doctor Strange, Ip Man 4, and its many underrated straight-to-DVD action movies are what most casual viewers will recognize as the action heavyweight.
Katia – Natalia Tena
The John Wick films impressively deliver John’s compelling backstory, and John Wick: Chapter 4 delves deeper and deeper into his past by introducing the public to Katia, John’s adoptive sister. Katia, played by Natalia Tena, is sure to serve as a great helping hand to the world famous assassin as he tries to escape the High Table. Natalia Tena is best known for her role as Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as her role as Osha, in Game of Thrones.
The Harbinger – Clancy Brown
Even High Table employees have to abide by rules and regulations, which is what The Harbinger played by Clancy Brown comes into play. The Harbinger is a high-ranking High Table official who oversees the operations of the High Table. Many audiences may recognize Clancy Brown as the voice of the Krusty Krab manager, Mr. Crab, in Spongebob Squarepants. Other than that, Brown can be seen as Captain Bryon Hadley in the classic film, The Shawshank Redemption.
Akira – Rina Sawayama
Akira is the daughter of the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel, Shimazu, with a bow and arrow. Played by singer songwriter Rina SawamaAkira promises to deliver some incredibly creative and badass battle scenes with her deadly bow and arrow. John Wick: Chapter 4 serves as Rina Sawayama’s film debut, though the singer-songwriter did appear in the Idris Elba sitcom, Put Charlie on, for two episodes. Rina Sawayama has also done previous work as a model and the singer-songwriter has reportedly recorded a song for John Wick: Chapter 4.
Chidi – Marko Zaror
Chidi, played by Marko Zaor, is the secondary antagonist and second-in-command of Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis De Gramont. Marko Zaror is a Chilean martial artist best known for his work in Undisputed III And Wild dog next to Scott Adkins. But most viewers may recognize the star from the Marvel Netflix series The defenders.