A version of John Wick 4 with a 4-hour runtime exists

John Wick: Chapter 4 might not be officially released in cinemas until tomorrow, but apparently, a version exists with a nearly 4-hour runtime.

It’s been a patient wait for fans eagerly anticipating the arrival of the fourth instalment of the popular action movie series starring the breathtaking Keanu Reeves. John Wick: Chapter 4 was supposed to initially release on 21 May 2021, until the global COVID-19 pandemic threw a spanner into the works for just about anything and everything.

Alas, here we are and the release of John Wick: Chapter 4 is merely hours away or it’s already out, depending on when you might read this article.

As reported by our friends at UNILAD, John Wick director Chad Stahelski and editor Nathan Orloff was speaking to IndieWire and revealed why the latest movie faced so many challenges when editing for its cinema release.

In its final form ready for cinematic release, John Wick: Chapter 4 has a runtime of two hours and 50 minutes. However, it was once a hefty three hours and 45 minutes long. I don’t know about you, but I’m totally down for four hours of John Wick goodness!

“Our first cut was three hours and 45 minutes, and it felt like three hours and 45 minutes. We were like, ‘Oh, we’re so screwed’,” said Stahelski. Orloff then explained the editing process of the movie in a few simple words: “You just compress, compress, compress.”

After the movie was cut, Stahelski was still unsure about the final release and requested that the post-production team re-watched the movie again to make sure that the plot still worked at a good pace.

“My editorial staff probably hates me because even if we just took 30 seconds out of something, I’d make everybody watch the movie again,” explained the director.

He continued: “That’s the only way you know you have the right pace. You feel that bump in movies all the time because they were doing it in pieces and not seeing it as a whole. The last thing you want to do is treat it as a bunch of parts.”

In related news, reviewers are already hailing the latest John Wick entry as ‘one of the greatest action movies ever made.’ John Wick: Chapter 4 releases in cinemas tomorrow 24 March 2023.