John Wick 4 celebrates start of production with teaser photo

Cameras are rolling on John Wick 4.

The upcoming sequel kicked off shooting this week after a somewhat delayed start to filming, due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. Here's the first image, as revealed by the studio:

Lionsgate confirmed the start of filming on John Wick 4, releasing this enigmatic photo from the set. Alongside the pic is the message: "It's begun. Consider this a professional courtesy. John Wick: Chapter 4 is now in production."

Early set photos tend to involve clapperboards, however this snap features a director's chair with John Wick 4 emblazoned across the back. This is our first look at the logo for the movie. Eager Wick hounds might search the image for easter eggs, but the photo appears to be: "What you see is what you get."

You can't blame folks for trying to learn more about the upcoming sequel. Plot details remain under wraps, with the exception of the globetrotting movie's locations: Paris, Berlin, a stop in Japan, and Wick's New York stomping grounds. Small tidbits of the story emerged from the onslaught of casting announcements in recent weeks.

Donnie Yen joins the movie as an old friend of Wick's, and franchise familiar Ian McShane is back in the saddle as Winston, the former owner of the Continental. The newer additions to the casting roster, Shamier Anderson (Wynonna Earp), Rina Sawayama, Bill Skarsgard, and Hiroyuki Sanada, all appear in as-yet-undisclosed roles. So, we know two of Wick's old comrades are scheduled to appear. But will they be friend or foe?

In addition to Stahelski's return – his second solo Wick film after 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum – Army of the Dead's Shay Hatten returns for scripting duties, co-writing the screenplay with Predators scribe Michael Finch.

Stahelski co-directed the first two outings with David Leitch. Stahelski acted as Reeves' stunt double and stunt coordinator on the latter entries in The Matrix franchise, forging a bond with The Wachowskis. The Matrix 4, also in production, enlisted the help of Stahelski for one particularly frenetic sequence.

John Wick 4 is scheduled to land in theaters on May 27, 2022. Find out what’s set to arrive on the big screen in the next six months with our guide to 2021 movie release dates, and catch up on a slew of ballistic streaming actioners with our picks of the best Netflix action movies.

Gem Seddon is a freelance writer working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.