The John Wick Movie Series Just Got A New Start
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
The John Wick franchise will mark a surprise first this year. It has already been said how much the John Wick movies influenced action cinema since 2014, but it's very true. Action movies weren't in a great place before the first instalment arrived arrived in 2014, but the movie's stylish look, great characters, compelling worldbuilding, and superb setpieces made it a must-see.
The series is so popular that not even the death of the title character in John Wick: Chapter 4's ending can stop it. In the years since that 2023 sequel, there has been a spinoff with the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina, while John Wick: Chapter 5 is currently in development. It does feel like the fourth entry served as a satisfying close to Wick's journey - but it would still be great to see Keanu Reeves return for one final chapter.
One of the tedious things about the streaming era is that movies can come and go quickly. That means when viewers are finally in the mood to binge a franchise, it's gone again or scattered around different platforms. For those seeking a visit to the world of John Wick, the four-movie saga just landed on Prime Video for the first time.
The John Wick Movie Series Has Another Streaming Home From October 1 Onward
That's right, October 1, 2026 marks the first time the John Wick series (sans Ballerina) are all available on Prime at once. It would be pretty exhausting to stream all four in a single night, but spread out over two or three days, the franchise is action nirvana. The series became famous for its pioneering use of long takes and blend of martial arts and gunplay.
The action style John Wick pioneered was originally developed for the 2012 thriller Safe, starring Jason Statham. Future John Wick co-directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski conceived of the franchise's signature action style during this Statham vehicle, where they acted as stunt coordinators. As the documentary Wick is Pain revealed, the duo had the Wickian style in mind with their pre-viz fight video for Safe, but both Statham and director Boaz Yakin felt this type of choreography was too stylized, and the concept was dropped.
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This was the right call for Safe, as that film feels more like a nod to gritty 1970s action thrillers. That said, Stahelski and Leitch knew they were on to a winner with this fighting style, and recycled the concept for John Wick. After the original proved a surprise hit, Leitch moved on to other projects like Deadpool 2 and The Fall Guy, while Stahelski has helmed every subsequent sequel.
He refined the signature style of the franchise throughout, with each John Wick sequel getting more ambitious in terms of its choreography. Chapter 4 is arguably the best of the bunch, and almost feels like Reeves and Stahelski showing off, from its nunchuck/gunfight to the now iconic Dragon's Breath shootout.
Why John Wick Is Now On Prime Video
Individual entries in the John Wick saga have been available on Prime Video before, but this marks the first time ALL four have been available at once. This is part of Prime's ongoing efforts to pick beloved franchises that viewers will always be open to rewatching, and John Wick is a perfect choice.
Donnie Yen will star in and direct the upcoming John Wick spinoff Caine, which wrapped filming in July 2026.
Even the so-called "worst" entry in the John Wick series has setpieces that completely eclipse its nearest rivals, and the franchise set a new bar for action cinema. Of course, the saga also restored Keanu Reeves' star, which had faltered following a run of duds like 47 Ronin. John Wick practically made Reeves himself a special effect, with the stunt team showing off his natural abilities as a martial artist.
It's fair to say that, while The Matrix is still the most groundbreaking movie Reeves has starred in, none of the sequels lived up to it. That isn't true of John Wick, where every installment has built on what came before it. Binge-watching the series on Prime Video only underlines how true this is.
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John Wick
7/10
- Release Date
- October 24, 2014
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
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John Wick
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Michael Nyqvist
Viggo Tarasov
John Wick is the first entry in the action-thriller franchise directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Keanu Reeves. Retired hitman John is brought back into the field when the dog his recently deceased life left him is murdered. Full of rage and equipped with unparalleled combat skills, John begins to track down the ones responsible for the act of violence and lays waste to any who dare to cross his path, sending panic throughout the criminal underworld.
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- Movie(s)
- John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
- TV Show(s)
- The Continental
- Video Game(s)
- John Wick Hex
- First Film
- John Wick
- First TV Show
- The Continental
- Genres
- Action, Drama
"John Wick" is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of assassins.
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