'John Wick: Chapter 4' Will Bring Back Ian McShane's Winston, But Will He Survive John Wick's Revenge Tour?

Insert grossly overdone yet admittedly relevant "I'm thinking I'm back" John Wick quote here.

We've been dancing in and around the fact that Ian McShane's Winston would probably be returning and adding his name to the expansive cast of John Wick: Chapter 4 — it really wouldn't make much narrative sense if he didn't — but today we can finally put that uncertainty behind us. Deadline reports that McShane has dotted the I's and crossed those T's to officially reprise his role as the mysterious proprietor of the Continental Hotel.

In short: Ian McShane will be returning for the continuing adventures of Keanu Reeves shooting hordes of combatants in the head and we couldn't be happier.

As a refresher, the end of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum saw a shocking event: Winston swearing fealty to the rampaging Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) to end the High Table's siege and restore some type of ceasefire. The trade-off, of course, happened to be John Wick. Winston seemingly betrays Wick at the most crucial of moment and proceeds to shoot him off the very top of the hotel roof onto the streets below.

The shocking conclusion is played somewhat ambiguously, leaving audiences to wonder whether Winston was saving Wick's life in his own way or finally turning his back on the former assassin for good. Even more important, arguably, is how Wick himself sees it. By this point, we're well aware of how Wick reacts when he's on the warpath in a quest for vengeance. Winston finding himself at the center of those crosshairs would absolutely be a sight to see.

It hasn't been long since the last casting update on John Wick 4, but the McShane news comes not a moment too soon. Let's run down the ever-growing cast, starting first with the returnees before moving on to the overwhelmingly talented additions.

It almost goes without saying that Keanu Reeves will once again be putting on that perfectly tailored suit and charging into the action, guns blazing, joined by Lance Reddick as Charon, Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, and obviously McShane as Winston. Along with cult action star Scott Adkins, the big names also include Hiroyuki Sanada, Bill Skarsgård, Donnie Yen, and Japanese-British pop singer Rina Sawayama as franchise newcomers.

John Wick 4 will shoot and slash its way into theaters on May 27, 2022.