Script Dump - John Wick 4

JOHN WICK 4 - 

ATTEMPTED TREATMENT

Written by

Ephraim Belnap

Adapted from script by

Shay Hatten

& Micheal Finch 

Based on characters

created by 

Derek Kolstad

ephraim.belnap@yahoo.com

929-406-4345

Last Modified 4/21/2023

This is of course being produced after the film’s wide release. It is too late to alter the material in any substantial way. But it is a fun creative exercise. 

A note -

Italics represent a section that appears exactly as it does in the current theatrical release. Anything else represents an expansion or alteration of the material. 

PRE-CREDITS TEASER

INT. TRAINING ROOM 

A fist - John Wick’s - slams into a robe-wrapped wooden plank dummy. BAM!

Shots of Wick’s back, showing his TATTOOS, but also his many new scars. Two BULLET WOUNDS on right hip, KNIFE SCAR on right shoulder, a HORIZONTAL SCAR across his back from the railing he landed on at the end of 3.

EXT. NEW YORK CITY - INTERCUT

Opening shot of Lady Liberty, New York City. The sun is setting, shining orange.

INT. TRAINING ROOM - INTERCUT 

BAM!

EXT. NEW YORK CITY - INTERCUT 

Down by the river, The BOWERY KING departs a train, then turns into an underground tunnel and keeps walking, past different barriers and signs. On a leash, he walks BUBBA, John Wick’s black bulldog. 

BAM!

INT. TUNNEL - INTERCUT

He starts reciting Dante’s Inferno as he passes through some different obstacles-

THE BOWERY KING

“I am a way into the city of woe:I am a way into eternal pain”

Shots of Wick’s chest, showing his scars again - two BULLET SCAR on right hip, KNIFE SCAR on right shoulder, an additional BULLET SCAR on chest from non-specific injury 

THE BOWERY KING

“Through me among the people lost for aye.
Justice the founder of my fabric moved:”

He comes to a DOOR marked with a strange symbol - an X with a line connecting its two tips.

Wick’s hand picks up a WHITE UNDERSHIRT from a WEIGHT RACK and he shrugs it on.

BAM!

The King unlocks the door, still reciting. We see the interior - a big, gym-like space with MATTS, KETTLEBELLS, WEIGHTS, and racks of equipment like SWORDS and NUNCHUCKS. A big FIRE BOWL stands next to the big doors.

Wick rolls around on a MAT; quickly somersaulting zig-zag-style down its length.

BAM!

THE BOWERY KING

Before me things created were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I shall endure.

The doors swing open, the King walks in, and we see he’s holding a COAT HANGER with a covering on it.

THE BOWERY KING

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

BAM!

THE BOWERY KING

Ladies and gentlemen, you are now in the presence of the motherfucking king!

He walks in, lights a MATCH, and drops it into the fire bowl, which ignites, and drips out of the bowl, blazing a path along dropped oil lines, the flames fanning out and creating a PENTAGON of fire on the floor before the training area.The King removes the coat’s cover, revealing a pristine BLACK SUIT with a black BUTTON-UP and TIE.

THE BOWERY KING

You ready, John?

The fist’s owner - John Wick - turns from his place at the rope dummy and looks at him, hair still long, sweating.

JOHN WICK

Yeah.

The King laughs, brings the match he lit the fire with to his lips, and blows it out.

END PROLOGUE

ACT ONE

EXT. DESERT - DAY

We see a sunrise. We see figures on horses framed in the sun. We see there are three, then four of them, one lagging behind the others. All in one shot. And then:

Four people ride through the desert on horseback. One is revealed to be Wick, chasing three others. He fires at them with a PISTOL, his aim unsteady because of his riding. He misses his first two or three shots, but kills one. Then does the same routine again with the second. 

It’s revealed a man in Arab traditional dress - robes, headwrap, jambiya knife - is watching them from a higher spot. As the riders approach this man, Wick kills the last one. 

Wick rides up, dismounts, and walks over. We see his left hand is missing a finger. His ring finger. 

We see his forehead has a cut on it, his face has some scrapes. There’s blood on his knuckles. He’s been fighting. Perhaps for a long time. 

He walks over, and we see the man - the Elder - is sitting on one side of an outdoor sitting area - a CARPET, some OTTOMANS, some BRAZIERS. This is his abode. 

ELDER

What are you here for?

WICK 

My ring. My freedom. 

The Elder raises a hand to his chest. We see he’s wearing an elaborate NECKLACE with many items hanging from it. 

ELDER

Your ring is here. But your freedom is not.

John listens. 

ELDER 

You have faced many trials to be here, Mr Wick. But there is no escape. The injuries you have taken? Now? And before? They were all for nothing. 

We see John’s hands are shaking involuntarily. They didn’t use to do that. His constant injuries are taking a toll.  

ELDER

The Elder before me offered you a deal of service. You rejected it. 

The High Table was happy to let you rot away in hiding. Now you’ve emerged.

You think you can escape. But you cannot. You are an agent of the table. You have no rights. You exist to serve them, to be discarded as they see fit. That is how it has always been. How it will always be. 

Wick hears these words, saddened to realize they feel true, bowing his head.

JOHN 

... Yeah, I guess so. 

He shoots the Elder, plugging him twice in the head. 

John walks over to his body and takes the necklace from around his neck. It’s a loop ringed with different pieces of jewelry - RINGS, BRACELETS, CLIPS - like a collection or set of trophies. John finds his RING in it. He cuts the necklace open with a KNIFE. Pulls his ring out. He holds it up and looks at it sadly for a second. 

Then he turns and slowly walks away. 

EXT. NEW YORK CITY - DAY 

At the New York Continental, a HARBINGER appears, serving a paper to the concierge CHARON. The Harbinger is also missing his ring finger.

Charon takes the Harbinger to WINSTON, where he explains his situation. The paper has been signed by all twelve members of the High Table, and they’ve specifically vested the Harbinger’s boss - the MARQUIS VINCENT DE GRAMONT - with complete power to handle this situation. They have one hour to vacate the hotel. They’ll be expecting Winston. Winston is very grave. A firing is usually commenserate with another type of firing.

Winston orders Charon to have the place evacuated. In the next scene, Winston and Charon are brought to a sleek building; a skyscraper still in Manhattan. Winston protests that Charon doesn’t have to be there for this, but Charon insists he will.

The two are brought before the Marquis and his henchman CHIDI, the Marquis looking out his window. We see he is observing the Continental. An identical HOURGLASS is ticking away on his table, almost empty. 

Refusing to look at them yet, the Marquis explains his role - In mythology, a hero might kill a monster, and the monster would invoke their parent. Then the hero would kill that monster, and that monster would invoke their parent. And sooner or later, the hero would kill so many monsters he would find himself facing not a monster, but a divine being. A force of nature. A god. That is what I am to you today - a god.

He turns and reveals himself. 

Winston tries to excuse himself by saying he shot John Wick, but the Marquis tells him to cut the crap - they KNOW he’s alive! He just killed the Elder! They’re tired of pretending otherwise! 

The sand runs out. From out the window, we see the New York Continental EXPLODE, taken out by demolitions that must’ve been hidden in the walls for just this occasion. Winston is no longer manager. And as such his life is forfeit. The Marquis pulls his gun on Winston ... and shoots Charon twice instead! 

Charon collapses as Winston tries to tend to him. He does not go cleanly; gasping, confused, looking around, utterly unlike the Hollywood climax death. He doesn’t even finish his last words as Winston kneels over him - “It has been, It’s been ...”  

And then he’s gone. 

As he lays dead, Winston looks, grave-faced.

WINSTON

Why? 

He slowly looks up at the Marquis.

WINSTON

Why not me? 

MARQUIS

(smiles)

I want you to watch as everything precious to you is taken. And once your hope is gone ... then we’ll see. 

(he turns to leave)

From now on, you exist as a ward of the Table. Anything I say, you do. 

He strides away with Chidi by his side and speaks briefly in French to him - “Bring me Caine.” 

EXT. PARIS - DAY

In the Jardin de Luxembourg, a blind man in simple clothes - CAINE - listens to his daughter busk on the violin. He has a LOCKET with her picture in it, a heavy CANE, and large sunglasses covering his eyes. 

Chidi appears and explains the Marquis wants to see him. He brings him to a mansion where the Marquis is holding court, wearing a RED JACKET and eating red-laced CHEESECAKE. 

As Caine enters, the Marquis lowers his food and goes over to him, giving him a warm handshake. 

MARQUIS

Monsieur Caine. A pleasure to see you.

CAINE

And you as well. 

MARQUIS

(indicates Caine’s eyes)

My condolences for your loss. 

I know it has been difficult for you. 

CAINE

We all carry burdens. 

MARQUIS

Hm, indeed. And we have held off on giving you one for a while on account of your condition. But we find we must ask you for another. No one else but you can do this. 

Caine sighs, shrugging his shoulders in an “If you say so” kind of way. 

CAINE

I strive to serve, sir. What is the name? 

The Marquis peels back a little, knowing this will matter. 

MARQUIS

... John Wick. 

The playfulness disappears from Caine’s face. The entire mood shifts. His hand shakes slightly.

CAINE

Impossible. It can’t be done. 

MARQUIS

You cannot do it? 

CAINE

With my eyes? Yes. But now? You are better off finding someone else. 

MARQUIS

... And this has nothing to do with your friendship? 

CAINE

No, nothing! It’s my eyes. I- I can’t take him without my eyes! 

The Marquis closes a little, frowning. But then relaxing. Talking to Caine as if he were a close personal confidant. 

MARQUIS

Mon frere … I am at my limit here. The Table has given me the responsibility of handling Wick. I cannot fail. I need your help. 

Caine is silent, pondering. 

MARQUIS

This is the last thing I will ever ask of you. And then you can be with your daughter. Forever. 

Caine hears this. Decides. He kneels down, holding his cane, a reluctant knight before his lord. 

CAINE

I have served. And I will be of service. 

He stands again, and the Marquis clasps his arm. 

MARQUIS 

Very good, very good. 

(then)

Do you have any idea of where he might be? 

CAINE

I can find out.  

EXT. JAPAN - NIGHT

We see the OSAKA CONTINENTAL. A beautiful, museum-like building. Its interior is almost like an airport, with ample space. A big part of the main room is a display area with PAINTED GLASS PANELS, WEAPONS DISPLAYS, and even TARGETS, where employees practice Japanese archery right in front of everyone! There are escalators to higher levels, doors that lead to extensive kitchens, and a front desk. 

A man walks up to the front desk - the TRACKER. He’s accompanied by two DOGS. The woman manning the desk - AKIRA - greets him. As she checks him in, she pleasantly asks what the purpose of his visit is. He smiles, “A little German bird told me this is the place to be.” 

She explains that dogs aren’t allowed, but with tongue in cheek, he says they’re service animals. She scowls, but says they can stay as long as they stay in his room. He takes his key, smiling, and sits down, petting his dogs fondly. He pulls out a JOURNAL and we see illustrations of John Wick, the different prices he’s had on his head ($7 million, now $14 million), and the Bowery King’s strange X symbol.

The hotel’s manager - KOJI - moves through the hotel, accompanied by three men who walk behind him in a diamond formation. Koji is an older Japanese man with a trimmed beard and immaculate formal-wear robes. He walks through these different spaces, greeting the workers, walking across the line of fire of the archers, utterly sure of his safety. He chats with Akira in Japanese, who seems to be something like his assistant. She mentions two upcoming meetings and then dinner with his daughter, who’s been missing him. He smiles, and we realize this relationship is familial; she’s the daughter. 

But she also mentions John Wick and his prior acquaintance with him. He insists that if Wick appears, he will provide for him, but Akira cuts him off, calling him otuo-chan - “father”. 

AKIRA 

That man destroys everything he touches! 

Koji hears her and grasps her by the arm and back, sincere and warm. 

KOJI

I promise ... I will do what’s best for you. 

He splits off, and she takes her place at the desk, his men also leaving him. 

EXT.  BALCONY - NIGHT

Koji walks onto a private balcony with a TEA TABLE and we see - John is already there, brooding by a neon-lit CHERRY TREE, his features clouded and unhappy. 

KOJI

How was your journey?

John doesn’t answer, looking down. 

KOJI 

... Bad.  

He sits down at the table and gathers a TEAPOT and CUP. 

INT. HOTEL - INTERCUT 

In the hotel, the Tracker is still sifting through his book. He arrives at what seems to be a PICTURE of the Tracker’s family, with parents, a sibling, and even more dogs. He looks at the picture sadly. For a second, he’s about to tear up, but then recovers and moves on. 

EXT. BALCONY - INTERCUT

KOJI

They are never going to give you your freedom. You know that.  

He pours one cup. 

KOJI

The Table does what the Table wishes.  

And then the other. 

KOJI 

And anyone under it is expendable. Your trials have proved that.

John turns at that and comes and sits down. He ponders his hands for a second, and we see that they’re still shaking. He looks quietly devastated.  

KOJI

You have two choices. You can try to hide, and live whatever life is left to you. Or you can make them pay.  

He pushes the cup to John. 

KOJI

But you still get to choose. 

John looks up, affected. 

-- 

Back in the lobby, the Tracker notices something.

There’s a new arrival - Chidi, the Marquis’s lead henchman. He walks in with two other HENCHMEN flanking him, all three wearing GREY SUITS and BLACK BOOTS. Chidi is the only one with a THREE-PIECE SUIT. 

Chidi smiles a very confident smile. He approaches the front desk and demands to speak to the manager. Akira says yes, but despite her best poker face, looks a little nervous, She invites him to sit down and wait. He does, and she turns to an employee next to her and tells him to evacuate the hotel. Discreetly. As she walks off, we see about fourteen or so other men (and some women) in grey suits filtering into the lobby.

The Tracker notices this interaction. He stands up, and starts walking to a less busy part of the hotel, his dogs trailing. 

On the balcony, John appears to be reflecting on Koji’s words, but then Akira arrives to tell him of the Marquis’s men’s arrival. She spots John and freezes. 

Koji leaves the two alone and goes to meet them. In the kitchen, he tells a group of eating employees in Japanese, “We have unexpected guests. Be prepared to show hospitality.” The employees drop their food and start pulling SAMURAI SWORDS and BOWS and ARROWS out of the food lockers. 

As Koji arrives in the lobby, we see the last dozen or so guests filtering out the front door.  Soon the lobby will be empty. The Tracker is nowhere to be seen. In the upper levels, we see employees setting up shooting positions with their bows. Chidi seems to either not notice any of this or not care. Koji walks up with his trio of men again, flanked by other employees as well. 

Chidi breaks the ice - we were told John Wick is here. We’re going to search the premises. 

Koji tries to bluff them out - you’re welcome to look. Please do. But just remember, there is to be no business conducted on Continental grounds. Any act of violence would be ... most unwelcome (threat implied).

Chidi ups the ante - 

Actually, we’re so confident, we called ahead, and the property has already been deconsecrated. 

Koji is startled, but not done. He gets real - the main lights go out, the green BACK-UP LIGHTS kick in, and he reveals they’re surrounded by bowmen and soldiers. You’re going to leave here, now. 

But Chidi is unintimidated. He stares Koji in the eye, and Koji tells the bowmen to fire. 

They do! Two of the grey suits fall. But the rest stay standing. Their suits are arrowproof - most have an arrow in their suit that they shrug off. And Chidi himself raised an arm and blocked an arrow that would’ve gone through his neck. He’s good enough and foolhardy enough that he took the chance his random movement would block whatever came at him. 

He smiles, and we see why. Through the doors, we see a wave of twenty or thirty rifle-wielding SOLDIERS come in, clad head-to-toe in black BODY ARMOR, HELMETS, and even MASKS that imitate Japanese theater masks. Now the employees are the ones outgunned and outnumbered. 

And the battle is joined.  

There’s a vicious fight. Koji leads, killing several men, but Chidi gives just as good, fast, lethal, strong as hell, killing with his bare hands and a pistol. The two conveniently don’t fight each other. 

Back on the balcony, Akira and John hear the fighting and Akira takes off her ROBES, revealing a LEATHER BODYSUIT underneath. Better suited for combat. Are you staying? Or are you going? John shakes his head. He’s staying. He pulls his PISTOL, and from a display in the balcony, Akira pulls a BOW and some ARROWS. 

Violence erupts! A handful of armored soldiers have made it to the balcony! John and Akira take cover and begin fighting their way through, John shooting through their necks and occasionally faces. But these goons are good, unintimidated by repeated fire and fighting back even when they’re disarmed.

Akira takes the last one and swears in Japanese. “Kso! (shit) These men are good! Better than any I’ve seen before!” 

She gives him a look, and he shrugs. Yes, this is because of him. 

On Koji’s end, he’s still fighting, having gained a SWORD sometime during all this. But near the end of an engagement, we see the Tracker is covertly watching, staying out of it.  

INT. HOTEL - UPPER LEVEL 

We see John and Akira fighting through the upper level, but we mostly stick with Akira. 

She comes across three grey suits - two regular mooks flanking a big, HUSKY MOOK. She has a little mini-boss fight with the two and then Husky, the two both giving and taking hits. 

Akira makes a discovery - the suits are bulletproof and arrowproof, but not knifeproof. She eventually takes Husky down with knives, stabbing him repeatedly through the back. She wins it out. 

But then she’s shot in the side! John finishes with his guys and kills her assailant, but the damage is done. And as he gets there, Koji arrives as well. 

Koji says it’s time to evacuate. The Continental is lost. He’ll stay behind to cover the stragglers, John should go. Akira protests, insisting he needs to leave with her but he refuses. And then John interjects - you said I get to choose? I’m choosing. Go. Koji understands and wishes him good luck, and he and Akira walk off together, Koji supporting her. 

Finally. After about twenty-five minutes of screentime, John Wick is about to go off. He grabs a RIFLE and starts going through the soldiers, using a more tactical approach. He makes his way down to the lower level with the galleries. 

INT. HOTEL GALLERY

The rifle goes dry and so he has to switch back to his pistol when he starts on Chidi’s men. He grabs a set of NUNCHUCKS off a display and uses them to deadly effect, switching between them and his pistol. 

During this whole sequence, we see that the Tracker is watching John from the upper level, still observing. He’s right to; he knows John would kill him in a direct fight. Three low-grade grey suits attack the Tracker but he barks an order and his dogs attack - one attacks directly, biting the closest mook’s throat out. The other slaloms through them at top speed while barking, distracting them for the second it takes for the Tracker to shoot them in the head with his Marlin ‘94 RIFLE. 

After killing the last of Chidi’s men, John bends down and takes the Marquis’s brooch off his lapel, recognizing it’s something important.

If there’s a song playing, it ends now. But a new one is about to start. 

But before he can make his escape, he hears a cane tapping on the ground - KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. 

John turns and sees someone he knows - Caine, clad in a pristine BLACK SUIT and SUNGLASSES, wielding a different CANE from earlier, slowly walking up to him, stoic as the grave. 

WICK

Caine?

Caine cocks his head for a second, hearing John’s voice. Regret and even fear is on his face for a second ... and then he draws a SWORD from his cane and attacks him! 

Caine is blind, but fights like a wolverine - he gets close and NEVER lets you get away. He attacks with lightning-fast slashes, never relenting. 

John grabs a SWORD from a display and the two engage with swords and guns at close range, but then quickly lose the guns and just do swords. 

Caine is so fast, it takes absolutely everything John has just to block him. Caine even sidesteps and flanks, trying to break him down, the two weaving in and out of the displays.

In the distance, the Tracker is quietly closing, creeping closer to the action. 

John is looking pressed. Caine, for his part, is looking kind of sweaty too. But then a Marquis goon John didn’t get to appears, sneaking up on John from behind, setting up to shoot him from behind. And suddenly, John gets outmanuevered and Caine kicks him to the ground. Suddenly, he’s in very real danger! 

The Tracker won’t get his kill stolen; he makes his move! With simple commands, he sets one of his dogs on the Marquis goon, who screams as he’s attacked. And as John and Caine react to seeing/hearing him, the Tracker sets his other barking dog on Caine. Once that’s done, he’ll shoot Wick and be a multi-millionare! 

But the dog careens at Caine - and Caine swats it away and stabs it to death, stabbing it many, many times, genuinely scared of it. 

The Tracker is paralyzed by horror. And in the second after his transfixion, he turns and sees that Wick is gone. As does Caine. He feels around trying to find him, feeling BROKEN GLASS under his feet. But then he realizes he’d be able to hear John on the glass if he was close. He’s gone. 

He swears loudly (”Fuck!”) and runs off, but the Tracker doesn’t care. He makes his way to his dog’s corpse and holds it close, mourning its loss. His other hound, finished with its mook, rolls up and whines sadly. 

Elsewhere, John flees outside and makes it to a SPEEDBOAT sitting in the river and guns the engine. As he drives away, he stops to catch his breath, legitimately winded from fighting Caine. 

EXT. HOTEL GARDEN - NIGHT

Meanwhile, Koji and Akira are still making their escape, Akira’s injury having apparently slowed them a lot. But as they go to cross a STONE BRIDGE and out an exit, they find Caine standing in their way. 

Recognizing Koji’s voice, he demands he tell him where John is, but Koji refuses. Caine invokes his loyalty to the Table, but Koji cites a higher loyalty. 

CAINE

You are under the Table. Your loyalty is to them. 

KOJI

Yes...

He looks at Akira.

KOJI

... But I am also loyal to my friends. 

Caine snarls and attacks. 

Koji defends himself, also struggling against his viciousness. Caine lands a light hit on his arm and hurts him, but then relents, but keeping track of Koji with his blade on Koji’s shoulder. 

CAINE

Tell me where he’s going. Or I’ll kill you. 

Koji locks eyes with Akira for a second, her distraught, clearly wanting him to survive. 

Koji attacks, managing to get Caine with his back to the door. Akira tackles Caine from behind, saying in Japanese to leave her father alone. Caine stuns her and throws her to the ground, but loses his glasses. 

We see his eye scarring makes his eyes look almost blue, and that there’s some scars around his eyes too. He holds his sword on Koji, who is on one knee.

CAINE

Tell me. Please. Think of what’s best for your daughter. 

Koji is wracked by the weight of that statement, looking heartbroken. But he slowly rises to his feet, stubbornly determined.

KOJI

I am thinking of her. 

He attacks again.

Akira watches, too injured to effectively fight Caine without the element of surprise. 

Caine gets pressed against the steps for a second by Koji and then stabs Koji through the stomach.  

Koji slumps to the ground, fatally wounded. Akira cries out and grabs him. Caine withdraws his sword and sheathes it. Without his glasses, we see the grief on his face. The mournfulness, even. 

But then he finds his glasses on the floor, puts them back on, and he’s the ice-cold killer once more. 

CAINE

If you want to come find me someday ... I’ll be waiting. 

He walks out, Akira watching him go.  

On the river, we see John loop away from the hotel and double back, where he ties the boat up outside a train station. 

He embarks and sits down, but before the train departs he sees Akira stagger in and sit down herself, wounded. 

He goes over to her and they have a discussion. He tries to see to her wound, but she refuses. And she gives him a little speech, each word carefully chosen, each phrase slow, each sentence dripping with pain and determination, John reacting as she speaks:

AKIRA

Listen up, Mr Wick. My father just died defending you. I just lost everything in my life. So you’d better make it worth it. I know you’re used to not having anything precious to you, but most people do. Think on that.

Intercut with this speech, we see the Tracker fleeing the hotel, and then the Tracker in a bathroom. We see his hands, washing BLOOD - his dog’s - off his hands. And as she says her last line, we get a close-up on the Tracker’s eyes, almost tearful, but full of new anger and determination.   

EXT. NEW YORK CITY - EVENING

Winston is at Charon’s grave on Roosevelt Island, snow coming down as he lights a CANDLE for him. John has now returned to New York and is meeting with him, also stopping to mourn Charon in his own way. He didn’t know him very well. But he respected him. 

Winston asks him what he wants to do now. John, still pondering what’s happened, says he’s going to kill whoever he can, starting with the person responsible for this. He shows Winston the brooch he took, asking who this belongs to. Winston explains that it’s the Marquis, and that he’s dangerous as hell. John is undeterred, and thinks there’s a way to take him. Winston asks what he’s talking about. John explains:

While he’s probably too well-guarded to kill conventionally, there is another way. Under old laws of the High Table, members can challenge each other to duels. If John goes to his native family, he can get them to issue a challenge, and then he can volunteer as their proxy. He’ll have to get his ticket mended, but he can do that. 

Winston discourages him. 

WINSTON

I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but it probably won’t work. The game is rigged. At this point you ought to realize, the Table doesn’t let its pawns do anything truly special. They always move the bar. 

John says he’s going to try anyway. Off to Berlin.

END ACT ONE

ACT TWO

EXT. BERLIN - EVENING

John goes to Berlin and enters a beautiful old CHURCH. 

He sees a beautiful woman in leather sitting in front of the candles and sits down next to her. Says a greeting in Roma. She turns and greets him in kind. 

The two have a heated discussion, revealing their dynamic. He calls her KATIA and refers to her as a cousin. He asks to see their Uncle Pyotr, but she angrily reveals that he’s dead. Ever since John started acting out, the Table has rained down hell on them. Uncle Pyotr was killed for his actions against the Camora (the events of 2). And then Uncle Vanya was killed for his actions against the Adjudicator (the events of 3). They’ve barely scraped by the last few years. And now he’s here, to what? To make things worse? She could get killed for even talking to him. 

He reveals that he’s got a deal for her. The Table has vested its authority in the Marquis Vincent de Gramont. He has sole jurisdiction over this case. That means if he challenges him to a duel and kills him, the hunt for him will stop. The punishments will stop coming. 

She says even if this were true, why should she try? He’s an outlaw, an outcast. And he says she’ll do it because he can also bring her the death of the man who killed their uncles. 

She stops arguing. But reveals that the assassin who did it is a tough customer. He has a secure compound, several guards, and security cameras that are always active. 

John smiles. Only that much?

We get some almost trite footage of him with his theme playing over it; John infiltrating the home, John killing the guards, John killing the man, an unremarkable grey-haired man. And then removing a GOLDEN RING from the man’s finger. Finally, John returns to the church and drops the ring into Katia’s waiting hand. She turns up to him and smiles. Kill a guy? Shit, girl, that was all you had to say.

Later that day, the Ruska Roma assemble. John and Katia sit on either side of a massive boiling POT, the carvings of a PHOENIX on its exterior glowing red-hot from the heat within. John rolls his sleeve up to his forearm, and - with Katia’s guidance - puts his forearm onto the carvings.

His skin smokes and sizzles. He growls in great pain. But he removes his forearm. We see the carvings now branded into him - the phoenix, burned red into his flesh. He is part of the family again. The Ruska Roma cheer and whoop. 

INT. BARN - DAY 

We see the Marquis in a massive BARN, watching WOMEN on horseback ride and do swordplay in a synchronized manner. He notes their perfection and elegance, not a single hair out of place. 

Chidi walks in and tells him that he has been formally challenged by the Ruska Roma to meet in Paris. They seek to challenge him to a duel. Their representative? John Wick. The Marquis is pleasantly intrigued. Oh, is that how he’s playing this? Good. We can end this in one move! 

Chidi also tells him that he has a visitor. Someone from the Osaka Continental. The Marquis says to bring them in.

EXT. COURTYARD - DAY

We cut and see the Marquis practicing pistol shooting. He stands dressed in RED SUSPENDERS, an older, intricately decorated PISTOL in his hand, three TARGETS set up across the stable’s courtyard. 

He holds a second, and then fires at each target once. POW! POW! POW! 

We see the results - bullseyes. 

He does so again. POW! POW! POW! Bullseyes. 

He does so a third time. Bullseyes again!  He’s a hawkeye. We see FENCING FOILS on the wall behind him as well.

Chidi rolls up with the visitor - the Tracker. The Tracker sees the targets and snarks darkly, rephrasing a quote from the great Bruce Lee, “Targets … don’t shoot back.” 

The Marquis puts his pistol away in a CASE as the Tracker steps forward and tells him why he’s here. 

TRACKER

I’ve come to tell you that I’ll be killing your man Caine. 

The Marquis says nothing. 

TRACKER

He killed someone in Osaka. Someone important to me. 

The Marquis still says nothing.

TRACKER

Under the Table, members can pursue each other with impunity. I don’t have to tell you. But I’m telling you anyway. As a courtesy. If there’s anything you want him to do, you’d best do it now, or reassign it. Capisce? 

He puts his palms on the table the pistol case is on, confident. 

The Marquis finishes packing up his pistol. Exchanges a look with Chidi. Gives the Tracker a look. And starts laughing. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Chidi starts laughing too. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. The Tracker, a little confused, starts laughing too. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha! 

The Marquis pulls a KNIFE from his pocket and stabs the Tracker’s right hand through the table! 

The Tracker yells in agony! 

His hound starts barking, on the verge of attacking. 

Chidi pulls a gun on it but the Tracker desperately yells (“No! Don’t hurt him!”) and tells his hound to back down. 

The Marquis twists the knife in his hand a little. And starts talking, dripping hate in every word. 

MARQUIS

Listen to me, you little shit. You don’t tell me what to do. You don’t dictate terms. I don’t give a fuck what the rules say. If you go after my man, I’ll put pain on you you can’t even imagine. I will make what happens to John Wick look like heaven! 

(he twists the knife on that)

Now... 

He removes his hand from the knife. 

MARQUIS

... Remove your hand from my table. 

The Tracker, scared, goes to reach for the knife, but the Marquis snaps. 

MARQUIS 

DID I SAY YOU COULD TOUCH THAT!? 

The Tracker realizes what’s being asked. Gulps. Sweats. Starts pulling his hand out, cutting it open in the process. He groans. 

His dog whines. Chidi smiles. And the Marquis licks his lips a little watching. 

But the Tracker eventually frees his hand (bisecting his hand from the palm to between the ring and middle finger in the process) and holds it close, smarting from the pain. 

His dog whines sympathetically. 

MARQUIS

Now ... get the fuck out of my house. 

The Tracker nods and limps off, bitterly upset. 

The Marquis turns away, breathing heavily ... and maybe a little turned on from the violence. 

MARQUIS

Send for that rat Winston. We will see him in Paris in two days.

EXT. PARIS - DAY 

We cut to Wick in Paris, walking up the steps to the Trocadéro Square, the square overlooking the Eiffel Tower. 

Waiting for him, at a TABLE set up for this meeting, are the Harbinger in the center, and on the right, the Marquis, Chidi, Caine, and Winston. Winston looks unhappy to be there, but is. Caine is unreadable. The Marquis wears a GREY SUIT with a BLACK SHIRT. 

John takes his spot on the left side of the table, alone. 

The Harbinger’s men surround the whole group.

The Harbinger stands in the middle, once again mediating the event. He explains what’s happening - they’re going to mediate the rules of this particular duel. And whichever party loses must acquiesce to the demands of the winner, even if their duelist dies. Each duelist is allowed to have a second, and the second’s requests - if their party submits any - must be honored as well. 

The group decide the terms of the duel, using a set of METAL POKER CARDS to randomly decide who wins each term. On each point, both sides flip a random card, and whichever has the highest number wins. 

The first term is weapons. 

The Marquis submits blades. John submits pistols. John’s card is higher. He wins. 

John requests they duel at Sacre-Couer, a French Church. The Marquis suggests somewhere else. John wins. 

John says he wants no quarter to be given. The Marquis requests the same. 

The Marquis wins, although it doesn’t matter. 

The terms are settled. 

The Harbinger explains the terms of the pistol duel specifically. They’ll both walk thirty pace, then shoot. In the event that both parties survive, each will approach the other at increments of ten paces until only one remains.  

The Marquis picks Caine as his second. He respectfully accepts. But John, in a surprise move, picks Winston. 

Everyone - the Marquis, Caine, Winston - is shocked, but the Harbinger rules that there’s no law against it. As a ward of the table, Winston is eligible to serve as a second. 

Winston is surprised, but coolly takes this opportunity, and John reveals what he’s decided Winston’s conditions are:

If his party wins, he will have his managership of the New York Continental restored, the Continental itself rebuilt at the Table’s expense, and Winston secure in his managership until he dies of natural causes. If he dies of anything other than that, managership will go to Winston’s heir of choice. And that’s all.  

The Marquis is upset. This upped the ante in a way he did not expect. Now he REALLY has to win. He keeps his cool. Caine, who at first was not paying attention, is now listening intently.

Winston resignedly goes over to John’s side of the table. The Harbinger says the mediation is over - the duel will commence at sunrise tomorrow, at 6:02 AM. Failure to appear will result in execution. Until that time, gentlemen, adieu. His men start packing up the tables and furniture. 

Before they leave, the Marquis makes one final warning at John. There is no escape for him. Even if he wins, he will always be who he is. The killer. The death dealer. There is no changing his legacy. Caine listens, as unfeeling as the person the Marquis describes.

John says, “we’ll see.” 

As soon as they’re out of sight, Winston stops John and turns to him:

WINSTON

What you’re trying to do is noble, but you know this is just the beginning. What the Marquis does not see, the Marquis can deny. He’s going to do whatever it takes to get to you before sunrise happens.

John says nothing.

WINSTON

He’d like to kill you. He’d love it. But he doesn’t have to. All he has to do is wound you badly. Or put your eyes out. Or cut your fingers off. All he has to do is slow you down so you don’t show up on time. He’s going to unleash hell on you. 

WICK

Let it come. 

He turns away and the two resume walking.

WICK

I’ve got a plan. 

INT. NIGHTCLUB 

We see disparate images as we transition to this location. 

A close-up of PATCHES on a fat man’s SUIT BREAST - an SS patch, a KGB patch, an OSS patch. Many symbols from many WWII-era intelligence agencies

A rotating CEILING FAN. 

A pair of fat hands dealing CARDS.

A bearded man holding an AX in his left hand. 

A match cut of the KING OF DIAMONDS CARD, also holding an ax in his left hand. 

Wick seen from behind walking up to a figure at a POKER TABLE. 

A long shot of the same room showing a line of six or so MEN along each wall, all holding the same axes. 

A close-up of four or eight GOLD TEETH on the dealer’s fat face. 

And then ... a shot of Wick sitting down at a poker table cautiously, back to normal editing. 

We hear a chuckle as Killa - Scott Adkins’ character - shuffles the cards out. 

He’s a dark Jabba The Hutt - a criminal with connections, but utterly without conscience, and bloated with greed. He smiles like a shark seeing dinner. 

KILLA

Mr Wick. It is good to see you again. It has been a long time.

JOHN

Guten Abend, Herr Hademin.

KILLA

Please. Call me Killa. We’re past such formalities. After all these years of acquaintanceship.

John eyes the patches on his chest. 

KILLA

You know I don’t normally work with people of your kind. A lot of kinds. Orientals. Poles. Africans. But especially yours. You Cossacks are a dirty people.  

Wick’s stoicism becomes more artificial. 

KILLA

But even I must admit, you’re a man of special quality. 

He keeps dealing the cards. 

KILLA

So - I assume you’re here for safety. Spend a few hours at the table while you wait for your duel?

John betrays a hint of surprise at that, and Killa gives a “what can I say?” smile.

KILLA

What can I say, I’m a broker. I know these things.

Wick subsides a little.

KILLA

But this is still a private game of poker. And a game needs players. 

We hear a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sound … and suddenly Caine has walked into the room!

Wick starts but Killa speaks first. 

KILLA

Ah, ah. 

Everyone in the room except Killa tenses. 

KILLA

There’ll be no bloodshed, here, Mr Wick. Not while I am here. This is simply a conversation.

Wick lowers his hand. Caine slowly walks up and sits down on John’s left, stone-faced. Killa continues where he left off.

KILLA

There, not so hard.

Wick and Caine eye each other. 

KILLA

Why don’t you two catch up? It’s been a while after all. 

He keeps dealing. 

KILLA

You know Mr Wick lost his wife recently. But did you know that Mr Caine here has a daughter?

Wick reacts; he didn’t know. Caine stays stoic.

KILLA

(to John)

You see? I am not just a broker to one side. I am a broker to every side. Catering to all, respecting of all. Ruled only by the dollar. I am the true equalizer. That is why I invited Mr Caine here.

The Tracker enters!

KILLA

And why I invited your mutual friend here as well.

The Tracker takes his seat wordlessly, staring daggers at Caine, his dog at his side. John stares at him, recognizing him. Caine is a bit surprised, sniffs the air, remembering the dog’s scent. 

CAINE

You. From Osaka.

Tracker says nothing. Killa keeps speaking.

KILLA

And now, here is the great problem - each of you thinks you have the superior grievance. 

(he gestures at each man)

One fights for freedom. One fights for revenge. One fights for honor. But you are all the same in one way.

He spreads out the deck.

KILLA

So. As the great equalizer, I am going to play a little game. We are going to play a hand. And whoever wins will get priority. The randomness of chance, perhaps working in your favor. 

The men, who have all been staring at each other, reluctantly agree. Killa deals out the cards. The men eye each other nervously. And then they call it.

In the background, Killa’s guards creep a step closer. 

Everyone reveals their hands one by one. 

John has a Dead Man’s Hand - ostensibly a winner. 

Caine has four of a kind, which beats that. 

The Tracker has a Royal Flush, beating that. 

But Killa? He has five of a kind. Five Aces. Which is literally impossible (a deck only has four of a kind). 

KILLA

See, this is my lesson. Each of you think you are in control. That you control your own destiny. But you do not. It is the man who runs the game who is in control. The man who deals the cards. Until you are ready to do what Mr Wick does, and challenge the Table directly, you will never be free. 

Caine and the Tracker both react to these words. No one’s really said that to them before. 

His guards creep a little closer. John and the others notice. 

KILLA

So ...

(claps his hands once)

... now our game is concluded. I am going to depart. 

(he stands)

You can fight it out in here if you want. Or you can leave this room peacefully. But you may not fight on the floor. That is the rule. 

His men stand ready. The three men exchange looks, on edge. John in particular looks angry.  

Killa stands up to leave, but suddenly Caine speaks, breaking the impasse. 

CAINE

Wait. 

Killa stops, intrigued. 

CAINE

You’re neutral. Right?

KILLA

... Yes. 

CAINE 

The only question is price. 

Killa seems a little nervous now. 

KILLA

... Yes. 

CAINE

Then why ... did you sell Wick’s whereabout in Osaka to me at a lowered price? 

Killa freezes up, realizing he’s been caught in a bad look.

John looks absolutely furious.

But then Killa commits, knowing his men are getting closer, deciding to twist the knife. We close in on his OSS and KGB patches as he delivers the following straight to John’s face:

KILLA 

The only good Jap is a dead Jap, right?  

John grabs a card and slits part of Killa’s throat. The guards burst into action. Chaos erupts!

The Tracker and Caine burst into action protecting themselves from the ax guards. John jumps in an instant behind them and for scant seconds, all three men are fighting the same enemy. Killa flees in those scant seconds. And then the moment’s over, and they look at each other for a beat. 

Caine swings his sword on John, but John dodges and bolts after Killa. 

Tracker shoots at Caine, but Caine picks up a PLATTER from the poker table, blocks a few shots with it, throws it at him and bolts himself. 

The Tracker chases Caine, Caine chases John, and John chases Killa, all spilling out onto the dance floor.  

Kill runs through it moaning from his injury, but still smart enough to grab his men in the crowd and start throwing them at his pursuers. Several guards encroach on the men from several angles. 

They’re comparatively short work for Wick, but Caine has to work for it, struggling to hear. He dodges wide and strikes precisely, taking out two men. But the second it takes is too long. He returns to his pursuit and finds he can’t tell where John is going, or where he is. The club is just too loud. He can’t track down anyone in this noise. He swears in Chinese and walks out. 

The Tracker takes his men relatively easily as well, but loses track of Caine, while doing so, angering him. But up ahead, John catches up with Killa and draws plenty of attention, and the Tracker finds himself drawn to watch. 

Killa drags from an inhaler and attacks. The two struggle, but Killa is huge and throws Wick around. He eventually kicks him off of the balcony they’re on, where Wick falls down one story, and then another. Ouch. 

The Tracker watches, keeping track. Two more guards show up, but he shoots them, leaving the door open for John. 

John tracks down Killa once more, and the two fight again. Killa manages to clothesline Wick and get him on the floor. But John rallies and starts beating him into the ground, viciously pulverizing him. He ends it all by throwing him off some stairs, and Killa falls weird and breaks his neck. 

John reaches down to confirm he’s dead, then stands up, contemplating his hands, which he notices are shaking again. 

But now, in the face of this violence, he realizes - the club is emptying, he’s getting more and more exposed, and he realizes what this development truly means - he’s on the run. 

EXT. EIFFEL TOWER - NIGHT

We see the Eiffel Tower at night, beautifully lit. Within it, beautiful dark-skinned women run a radio station for the local criminals. They explain they’re sending out a hit to a local favorite - Mr John Wick. Listeners should stay tuned in to see where he is, and catch the latest updates. 

We see assassins of all stripes all over Paris hearing this broadcast. They listen, interested, and then start gearing up, each group with something that distinguishes them. 

One group wears only GREY BERETS. 

One group is using exclusively RIFLES with DRAGON’S BREATH ROUNDS. 

One group is wearing only mechanic’s JUMPSUITS. 

But they’re all dangerous. 

EXT. COURTYARD - NIGHT - INTERCUT

We cut to the Marquis at some WATER-FILLED COURTYARD, looking at a large MODEL OF PARIS on a table in front of him, Wick’s location marked with a BLACK GLOBE. Chidi is there as well, both listening to the ASSASSIN RADIO broadcast. 

Chidi smiles.

CHIDI

So, that’s the plan? Wear him down? Tire him out? 

The Marquis turns to look at him. 

MARQUIS

No, it’s more than that. We’re just going to kill him. 

(points at him)

YOU are just going to kill him. Take your men, find him, end this. Bon chance. 

Chidi smiles. He warmly shakes hands with the Marquis, bothb smiling, and then walks off.

INT. TOWER NIGHT - INTERCUT

Back on the tower, the broadcaster keeps talking.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

And here’s the latest intelligence ...

A woman in the tower puts a VINYL RECORD on, ready to be broadcast. We see Wick running through the streets near the Arc de Triomphe. 

RADIO ANNOUNCER

John Wick has been spotted ... 

EXT. PARIS STREET - INTERCUT - NIGHT

We see Caine walking through the streets, listening to the broadcast via POCKET RADIO and EARPIECE. We see the Tracker overhearing the RADIO in a (presumably criminal) bar he walks by. 

RADIO ANNOUNCER

... Two blocks from the Arc de Triomphe. 

John comes to a pause at a crossroads. Looks right, sees the Arc De Triomphe. Looks left, and sees a gang of Grey Berets. They lock eyes for a second. 

Up in the tower, the needle drops, and a SONG starts playing. 

The Berets sprint for him. John throws some stuff from the nearest cafe at them - a STOOL, a PLATE, a BAG of BAGUETTES. A CAR pulls up between them - a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda - and the driver pulls a gun on Wick. Wick shoots him comically fast and opens the door and pulls him out, taking his GUN from him as he does so, tossing it in the passenger side. He huddles behind the car and shoots suppressing fire as the handful of berets with guns finally get them out. He slides into the front seat, shoots the passenger window out and keeps firing, scattering the men again.  

He guns it and donuts to the left, kicks his door open. A goon gets perfectly scooped into it and the door comes off. Wick comes to a stop facing the Arc and finishes firing. Hit the accelerator again. 

He drives to the Arc, fielding fire from the berets spreading out. More and more goons are emerging from the streets. He’s close to surrounded. He reloads his main pistol. 

We see footage of Caine, the Tracker, and Chidi in a TOWN CAR all heading towards him, listening to the song on the radio. 

As he approaches the arc, a VAN in the roundabout spots him and comes to a stop, its passenger seat occupant also pulling out a gun. These guys are everywhere! 

John shoots him immediately, but now the car is perfectly still in the middle of a roundabout! The VAN behind it smashes into it! But both vans open up - they’re both filled with goons! The other cars in the roundabout veer off, beeping their horns angrily, giving the vans a wide berth. 

John judges the space, shoots out his windshield, and pulls into the arc to his right, pulling into a drift. 

He drifts around the vans, avoiding the cars, and starts perfectly picking off the goons in the vans, firing all fourteen shots in his magazine in the time it takes to drift around two times. Nailed ‘em. 

He drifts to a stop, looks, and jumps out of the car, taking both pistols with him. Another car from the roundabout smashes into it. It’s gone. He rushes out away from the pile-up as more berets come after him, sticking his second pistol into his waistband after turning the safety on. 

He starts playing dodgeball with the cars. 

He somersaults perfectly past one car. The goons behind him stop shooting for a second to dodge the cars in turn. As they stop, he turns and shoots one. Then turns and somersaults across another lane. 

The pattern repeats. He somersaults; waits for the goons to stop firing while dodging; kills one; repeats. The goons are slowly whittled down. They can’t handle the cars and the shooting and aiming at the same time, and Wick’s somersaulting - honed in the training we saw in the prologue - puts him too low to hit accurately. One man gets run over by not looking. Another trips and gets run over. Another gets winged by a side mirror and then run over. This on top of John’s shots. They’re getting whipped. 

But then as the last few berets fall, John gets hit by a car. He gets up onto the hood and falls down onto the pavement. The door opens and we see its driver - Chidi! He opens fire and John rolls away. Behind Chidi more of the grey suits arrive, and John starts running away, seeing the odds mount against him. 

He has an empty stretch and sprints across the traffic up and into an APARTMENT BUILDING that’s undergoing repairs. At the same time, the men wielding Dragon’s Breath rifles pull up outside the building in various cars and start pouring in! The grey suits filter into the building right behind them.

John kills the first of the DB goons, but then the first round shoots, arcs past him, and blows up the wall behind him and he gives a double take - he did not expect that. 

Elsewhere, the Tracker and Caine arrive at the apartment building, both taking separate entrances. 

John gets some more distance from the riflemen, fending off suits. And then he disarms one of the goons and takes his DB round rifle. Oh. Yeah. 

He shoots his way through several more men. At the same time, we see the Tracker fending off and killing a mook who attacks him - in the fog of battle, everyone’s attacking anyone who isn’t them. 

At the same time, we also see Caine moving around. He’s very nervous, rushing from cover to cover. Blind on a battlefield, he’s almost completely compromised. But still determined. A jumpsuit goon grabs him aggressively and he kills him with his sword, dangerous as ever at close range. But then he hears the yelling of men as they get hit with the DB rounds from John and focusses. 

We get a TRACKING SHOT starting at ground level that then moves up to bird’s eye view, showing John killing his way through the environment like a bespoke, flame-spitting Pac-Man. 

But from this view, we also see Caine navigating the battlefield; moving from cover to cover, tracking the location of men. The Dragon’s Breath rounds mean Caine can triangulate where John is. Men scream and run away from where John is, and he extrapolates. 

Meanwhile, the Tracker is suddenly pinned down by three grey suits coming to kill him, and desperately deploys his dog and his rifle. 

And as John kills the very last mook in his corner, Caine finally gets close to John enough that he can get him. And he elects to sprint at John, drop his cane, and tackle him from behind! 

We cut back to conventional shooting and a vicious grappling battle begins. The two men both know BJJ and judo and wrestling - they move through several positions, taking turns having the advantage. Caine loses his glasses in the struggle, them getting smacked off his head. John gets his head banged against the floor. Caine gets a nasty scrape on one cheek. The violence is unparalleled. But suddenly John sees a discarded PISTOL lying on the floor. And Caine can’t see it. 

In his area, the Tracker finishes dispatching his last man and hears their fighting. He tells his dog to stay and starts running towards them, sensing an opportunity. 

John reaches, trying to reach the gun. Caine makes it hard on him, changing something, totally oblivious to what he’s doing. But John gets two fingers on it, is sliding it into place. When suddenly, he hears the Tracker behind them.

TRACKER

Your ass is mine, old man!

John recognizes the voice. 

Caine recognizes the voice, does a small “huh!” of recognition. 

And John turns with the gun, where the Tracker is in the doorway about to shoot Caine ... and shoots the Tracker twice in the stomach! 

John slides away and rolls to a knee, training the gun on Caine. If there was music playing during this sequence, it’s now stopped. 

Caine tenses up, realizing what’s about to happen. He holds his hands up, tense but accepting. 

John stays still, breathing hard, but not firing. The first break he’s had in a minute. 

Caine tenses, expecting it any second, head bowed, breathing heavy.

John looks, considering. Seeing how vulnerable Caine is. And then he lowers the weapon towards the ground ... and fires until the magazine is empty, clicking it a few times so Caine will hear it too.

John drops the gun. And then starts walking off. 

Caine suddenly dashes and snatches his sword from off the ground, training the blade on John’s throat! 

John freezes, not doing anything, now the one tense. 

Caine holds the sword on him, similarly considering ... and lowers the blade, letting John go, lowering his head. 

John steps away, out of sword range.

JOHN

Bon chance. 

He leaves, and the camera stays on Caine. He looks conflicted, his breathing heavy. His glasses are off. For a second he clutches his hand to his eyes, breathing heavy, staving off something deep and internal. And then the moment passes. He feels around and finds his glasses and rushes off in a direction different from John’s.

As he does, Chidi appears, his men behind him. They turn the corner pursuing John.

The grey suits open fire. John sprints down the hallway he’s in, and jumps out of a window, falling down two stories, bouncing off a van, and getting back to his feet. 

Chidi’s men come back to him and explain that they lost him. What do we do now? One man suggests that maybe they should let him go. He’s wounded, surely we’ve got the job done. Chidi choke-slams him into a wall for saying that. 

CHIDI

(in Spanish)

Is he dead!? IS HE DEAD!? Then we’re not done. 

The men disperse, but the camera stays in the room, and we see why. 

The Tracker sits up from where he fell. He fingers the vest he has on under his layers of clothing. Shakes a little. We hear the bullets popping out and landing on the floor. He commands his dog and it comes from around the corner, barking happily. He gives it a pet, and eyes the site he just saw Caine and John not kill each other on, thinking. 

EXT. PARIS STREET - NIGHT

We cut to outside - the Tracker is running down the steps, heading out into the city again. But suddenly he stops. The camera pans and we see he’s looking at a waiting Caine, standing in the street, holding a PISTOL. The two eye each other for a second, and then

CUT TO:

INT. PARIS SUBWAY - NIGHT

John sits waiting for a subway train at the Maire De Lilas station. It rolls in ... and the Bowery King comes out. 

THE KING

Hello, John. 

JOHN

How’d you find me?

THE KING

I put a tracker in your coat.

JOHN

... Really?

THE KING

No. 

Winston steps into view, coming from the tunnel John presumably just did. 

WINSTON

Let’s just say I sent word. 

The Bowery King reveals a COAT HANGER hanging over his shoulder. It holds another THREE-PIECE SUIT with a BLACK TIE, this time with a WHITE SHIRT. 

JOHN

Is this for me? 

THE KING

A man’s got to look his best when he’s going to get married. Or buried. 

We cut to John in his new suit, looking at himself in a MIRROR left in the corner of the subway. He looks good. 

He turns and the King has another gift for him - a case. John opens it and finds a 9 mm PIT VIPER pistol, alongside several MAGAZINES. He hefts the gun as the Bowery King smiles. 

THE KING

A nine millimeter Pit Viper. 21-round capacity magazine with a built-in compensator for virtually no muzzle flip. Fiber optic front sight, ambidextrous safeties, flared magwell for faster reloads, 2-pound extreme trigger.

JOHN

How’d you find this? 

THE KING

I know a guy, who knows a guy ... who shot a guy. 

Winston steps forward. 

WINSTON

Are you ready?

John nods. 

WINSTON

You look ready. 

INT. TUNNEL

John, Winston, and the King lazily drive down St Martin’s Canal, an underground river, in a SPEEDBOAT. The King is at the wheel. The engine is the only noise.

WICK

What time is it? 

The King pulls back his sleeve to reveal an expensive WATCH, which he looks at. 

THE KING

5:30. You’re going to make it. 

Another moment of silence passes. 

WICK 

So ... Winston, how did you get made head of the Continental? 

Winston shifts, uncomfortable. 

WINSTON

It’s a long story. 

Wick listens. 

WICK

Could it happen to someone else? 

Winston doesn’t answer for a moment. But then the King hops in. 

THE KING

In my experience, people rarely become kings on their own merit. 

(gestures to himself)

Excepting myself, of course. 

And even then, there’s no guarantee you get to stay king. 

We see a close-up of his scars as he says that.

THE KING 

We talk about it like chess. A pawn makes it to the end of the table, becomes a queen. But by and by, pawns stay pawns. And what do pawns do?

(he looks at John directly)

They get sacrificed so someone else can win. 

Winston looks deeply saddened by this. 

WINSTON

...Maybe you’re a knight.

Another moment of silence passes. 

THE KING 

So, what do you want on your tombstone? 

JOHN 

... What? 

THE KING

In the event that you don’t make it? What do you want?

John doesn’t answer, thinking. 

WINSTON

I’d like mine to say, “Was Useful.” 

THE KING 

Noted. 

WINSTON 

What would you like yours to say?

The King chuckles, the answer obvious, turning back to the wheel. 

THE KING 

“Long Live The King.” 

The boat arrives at an exit onto the larger river, and comes to a stop. 

THE KING

This is your stop, Mr Wick. Take care.  

John steps out carefully, not rushing himself. Winston stays on the boat - he’ll be getting out elsewhere. Before he walks away, he turns back. 

JOHN

“Loving Husband.” That’s what I’d like put on my headstone. 

The King and Winston listen. 

THE KING 

It’ll get done. 

John nods. 

JOHN 

Goodbye. 

THE KING

(somber)

Goodbye, Mr. Wick. 

John turns and walks. 

END ACT TWO

ACT THREE

EXT. STAIRS - NIGHT 

John heads for his entrance, the 222-step staircase up to Sacre-Couer. As he arrives, he looks up, and the camera pans and we see the stairs have men on them - one every ten feet or so. All of them stock-still, looking at him. 

John looks down and checks his watch. It’s 5:50. Twelve minutes. 

EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT - INTERCUT

At the top of the stairs, the Marquis and Winston sit in opposite chairs, both trying to play it cool. The Marquis is once again wearing a GREY SUIT with a WHITE SHIRT. 

He looks up. 

EXT. STAIRS - NIGHT

There’s a landing every thirty steps or so, for a total of seven landings. There are smooth stone sides on either side of the steps, good for sliding down. There’s some cover on every landing - a table or a barrel or a discarded wheelbarrow. There are also two trees planted on each slide. 

The area isn’t totally barren. But it’s still a tactical disadvantage - minimal cover and uphill. There’s probably fifteen guys on the stairs, with potentially more to come. Even for John Wick, this might be a tall order.

The first man on the steps locks eyes with John, his stance a gunslinger’s. The two men look each other in the eye. A moment passes. And then both draw. 

John is faster and shoots the man immediately. He topples and falls down the stairs. 

John advances up the steps, using his coat as cover. He lays down fire, getting the next two men or so. The men on the stairs move around, some seeking cover, some seeking a more opportune angle, some just trying to get out of the way of the men behind them. 

A weirdly violent ballet unfolds. John moves up the stairs, uses cover, takes out one man every four seconds or so. Rinse, repeat. Rinse, repeat. One flight up. Two flights up. 

It becomes clear that he’s wiping out the whole group! As each one falls, they slump and fall down the stairs or the sides, flipping and flopping like rag doll ballerinas. Maybe they’re not so good as he thought. 

John summits the fourth landing, now almost within the top of the hill. 

Up there, out of sight, we cut to the Marquis and Winston sitting. Winston looks optimistic. The Marquis is stoic. 

We see Wick almost smiling for a second. 

And then Chidi emerges from behind cover, where he’d been hiding, and delivers a killer kick to John, sending him flying! 

John rolls down one flight of stairs. John rolls down a second flight of stairs. John rolls down a third flight of stairs. John rolls down FOUR. FREAKING. FLIGHTS of stairs! 

Back to the beginning! 

He slumps to the ground, groaning. On the fourth flight, Chidi smirks, and a wave of grey suits slowly emerge from cover on the flights above him, all having been lying in wait. Instead of hunting him down, they decided to camp the destination.

Up the stairs, the Marquis smirks, and Winston frowns. 

John staggers to his feet, tenderized and sore. He looks up, seeing the crew facing him. We see his Pit Viper shaking in his hand. It’s looking dire. 

He starts going up again. He uses the trees on the slides as cover as the grey suits shoot at him. He shoots one grey suit. He makes the first landing. He shoots a second suit. But as he tries to make the second landing, he’s shot thrice in the chest - bruising him badly - and falls back to the first landing, landing on his stomach. 

He hurriedly drags himself behind cover, huddling behind a fallen table. He’s good. But the grey suits are just too stacked against him. He sits with knees drawn to his chest behind his cover as the grey suits start concentrating fire on it. Soon they’ll destroy it, and him with it. He knows this. He takes a deep breath, about to dash out and die anyway...

But then we hear a sound. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. 

Chidi and John both react, hearing it. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Chidi tells them to stop firing in Spanish. “No dispare! No dispare!”   

At the very top of the stairs, Caine appears. Glasses on, cane in hand. He slowly descends the stairs, seemingly unhurried. We see the grey suits smirk. Another guy on their side to win this one. 

Caine descends the first flight of stairs, presumably now out of sight of the Marquis. He reaches out with his cane and taps the first grey suit lightly. He reaches across and touches the next closest, a step down but on his other side. He taps him once or twice, turning his head, seemingly getting a feel for where he is, almost comedically. He snaps his head down and looks at where John is, unable to see him, but clearly communicating something. 

A second passes. John processes something, something slowly kicking in. Chidi looks too, apparently about to get it. And in the last second he does, starting to move, yelling something like “Get dow-!” 

Caine explodes into action and kills the first two guys! Slashes left and right, cutting their throats! The grey suits explode into action, yelling and re-orienting themselves against Caine.  

John jumps into action! Shooting at the grey suits during their momentary distraction. Some of them fall. He’s back in the game! 

Chidi flinches, split between the two, and decides to take cover for a second. John advances up a few more stairs, making progress. The suits stop flinching. They’re well-trained and adapt quickly. Two triangulate fire and start firing at Caine. Caine ducks over and moves to the side, taking cover. 

The grey suits fire at John again too, and John has to take cover. The stairs are just too damn exposed. He took it against untrained nobodies, but the grey suits are still so damn good.

Behind cover, Caine draws a gun and whistles, “Whoo-oo-Whoo!” 

The Tracker’s dog emerges from behind some bushes at the halfway point and starts streaking between the grey suits towards Caine, barking all the while! Caine pops up from behind cover and shoots next to where the dog barks, using it as a tracking device, downing more suits! 

The Tracker emerges from behind the same bushes and fires his rifle, laying down covering fire to keep his dog safe. On his end, John keeps firing and advancing. 

The dog makes it to Caine, who gives it a hurried pat on the head. He barks an order and the dog starts sprinting down the steps again, still barking all the while. The grey suits are down to their last five or so. 

Up the stairs, the Marquis looks surprised and unhappy. He can’t see what’s happening, but he knows Wick was about to die and now isn’t. He didn’t expect this at all! Winston looks anxious.

John finishes his last few guys. Chidi is being ambushed in the center. The Tracker nails a guy or two. And then the dog sprints at Chidi as the three men converge on him. 

Chidi ain’t no punk. He smacks the dog aside almost easily. John closes, firing, but Chidi roundhouse kicks his gun out of his hand. Caine overhead slashes him but he catches it on his arm, closes and flings him into the guard rail, his sword clattering away. 

The Tracker closes, firing, but Chidi closes faster, grabs the barrel and slams it back into the Tracker’s forehead. 

John closes again and the two go hand-to-hand. John gets repulsed. Caine closes and does hand-to-hand, even throwing in the Wing Chun fist flurry, but Chidi tanks it and repulses him too. The Tracker closes with old-fashioned boxing but Chidi repulses him easily. 

On the ground, John shakes his head, annoyed. He sees his Viper and picks it up. In the background, Tracker and Caine are still attacking. John gets to his feet, does a brass check, and staggers forward. 

As he closes, he yells, “Open!” 

Caine and Tracker pull back, sensing the opportunity. Chidi sees him coming, intercepts the gun, and punches it out of John’s arm. John pulls a gun out of his waistband - the one he grabbed at the start of the car chase - and plugs Chidi three times in the chest above his vest. 

It hits him. He falls to a knee, stunned. In the next moment, Caine drives his sword through his side, and the Tracker empties his rifle into his chest as well. It’s done. Chidi stares at them, shocked. They got him. 

Caine withdraws his weapon. The three men stand for a second, watching. Chidi reaches a hand out to grab John, but John steps away, and Chidi slowly falls down. 

The John Wick guitar cue plays. 

The three men exchange looks. The Tracker lowers his rifle. His dog idles up, tongue wagging. 

Up the stairs, the Marquis looks grief-stricken. He realizes what happened.  

The three men start walking up the stairs, moving slowly, unhurried, stepping over the bodies of their enemies. Their pace is very relaxed. Caine absentmindedly reloads and shoots a suit who’s still groaning. But behind them, we see Chidi. Slowly rolling onto his hands. Getting to his knees. Unsteadily raising a gun at them. And - 

BAM! Chidi falls, a bullet in his head. The three men startle and turn around, then back to the shot’s source. 

Winston stands a few steps down the stairs, a beautiful WALTHER in his right hand, his stance flawless. 

Wick and co look shocked, but step forward. The Tracker and Caine step past Winston as John comes up to him. 

JOHN 

Keeping it separate? 

Winston smiles.

WINSTON

What the Marquis does not see ... we can deny. 

Up the steps, the Marquis is on the verge of tears. He knows what that last shot meant. And there’s no way anyone would be coming up those steps while Chidi was still alive. This is a man who has NEVER had one of his toys taken away before. And with Caine’s betrayal, he’s technically lost two. 

Sunrise arrives. John and Winston stagger up the steps. They’re officially there. In front of the church, the Harbinger awaits, his people posed behind him as usual. 

Behind him on the table are a CASE, and his HOURGLASS, seconds from running out.

As John slowly staggers up in front of him, the SAND runs out. The Harbinger’s eyes flicker to it, then to where the Marquis sits brooding and where John stands. 

HARBINGER

Both are here at the appointed time. Good. 

He turns and comes back with a case, and opens it up, revealing two DUELING PISTOLS and accompanying sets of BULLETS. 

The Marquis angrily jumps out of his seat, sneering up a storm. 

MARQUIS

Let’s do this, then! I don’t need anyone else to kill you! 

The Harbinger indicates that the two must shed their outer layers. 

The Marquis angrily discards his suit coat and vest, leaving him only in a white shirt, restlessly pacing. 

John takes off his coat and vest slowly, utterly calm. As he takes off each, we hear a pack of bullets bouncing to the ground from where they lodged in the fabric. John moves slowly. We see a BLEEDING WOUND we didn’t see earlier. Maybe a bad scrape from the stairs. 

Finally disrobed, the two slowly measure out their thirty paces. The Marquis does so quickly, angrily. John does slowly, calmly. The Harbinger explains the rules. After each shot, the seconds will distribute the next bullet, until the competition ends. 

As Winston comes up to John to give him his first bullet, he talks to him- asks if he’s okay. He’s exhausted from fighting. The pistols are unrifled. The Marquis is fresh. Are you sure you can do this? 

We can see John’s hands are still shaking, like they always have been this time around. He really isn’t at 100%. 

But John still nods determinedly. He loads his bullet steadily and stands ready. 

Caine gives the Marquis his first bullet, and the Marquis angrily snatches it and shoos him away. He’s pissed at him. He loads his gun as fast as possible and stands ready. 

The men face each other. The Harbinger invokes blessings on their souls. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Ready. Aim. Fire! 

Both shoot. 

Wick is shot in the side. Marquis is shot in the arm. Not so bad an injury. The Marquis looks at his injury, shocked. He didn’t expect that. He stands a little less steady. John himself keeps his feet as well, steady as a rock.  

They take their next ten steps forward. 

Their seconds give them their second bullets. 

The Marquis’s hands shake a bit as he reloads. He looks doubtful all of a sudden.

Wick’s hands seem more steady, somehow.

Ready. Aim. Fire! 

They fire again.

Wick is hit in the center, the Marquis is shot in the hip! But both still stand.

Wick takes his next ten steps. 

The Marquis does too, but he’s troubled now. A little disbelieving. His gait unsteady, his breathing uneven. He doesn’t like this. 

He just about barely makes it to his third mark. 

Their seconds give their third bullets. 

Everyone there can sense the energy of what’s happening. The Marquis’s rocked.  

Ready. Aim. Fire! 

They both fire, but we see down the Marquis’s sights and see that he moves at the last second trying to not get hit! 

Wick gets hit in the left trapezoid, but the Marquis is hit in the center! 

He flinches back a step, stunned, and then falls to a knee. Slumping to the side. He’s hurt. 

The Marquis desperately rolls back to full posture, breathing hard, genuine disbelief in his eyes. Is this what true pain feels like? 

But he’s still playing. 

MARQUIS

The bullet!

Caine and Winston come to give the bullets again, but the mood is decidedly different. 

Winston looks at Wick with care. Caine, naturally, doesn’t look at the Marquis at all. 

The Marquis for his part, refuses to look at anyone. He has eyes only for Wick. His sneer makes a bit of a recovery as he looks at him. Hatred can keep him alive. 

Caine passes him the next bullet, but the Marquis is shaking so much he fumbles the first insertion and has to start again. His rushing is working against him. 

He rises off his one knee and yells in pain, still shocked by his suffering. 

He finishes rising to his feet and yells some more, clearly in agony. 

But he stands. 

Across the way, John doesn’t even move, bleeding freely from his three injuries, his stance lopsided, but utterly still. 

The Marquis sneers. His body shakes, his stance is uneven, but he’s still the Marquis. He’s a marksman. A leader. A god. No little worm like Wick can take him. He’s shocked, but he’s remembering that now.

Ready. 

Aim. 

Fire!

Wick shoots the Marquis in the head before he can even get a shot off. He falls back to the ground immediately. Steady beat fast.

Wick lowers his gun. The Harbinger proclaims the judgement. Wick is victorious. He has his freedom. Winston’s claims shall be honored. Caine is now freed from his obligation to the Marquis. 

It’s all over. The Harbinger’s people start disassembling their things. 

But John walks down the church’s front steps too wounded to do anything. 

Caine follows after him, sensing his distress. And the Tracker even draws closer too. Wick falls into a sitting position on the first landing, reaching out. Caine approaches him, on his right, the Tracker on his left. 

Caine feels John’s pulse in his right wrist. It’s just okay. The Tracker comes up too, his dog beside him. Winston walks a few steps down and lingers a few steps above, unsure of how close to get.

Wick speaks some final words.

JOHN

Winston...

WINSTON

Yes?

JOHN

Look after him. Look after him.

WINSTON

I will. 

JOHN 

Caine...

CAINE

Here, brother. 

JOHN

I’m sorry ... for all of it. 

CAINE

I’m sorry, too. 

JOHN 

(turning to Tracker)

And you...

TRACKER

Yeah? 

Wick pulls a SLIP OF PAPER out of his pocket and passes it to the Tracker. We see it contains a string of numbers and some words. 

JOHN

Take care of this. Remember. Remember this...

He trails off, too wounded to speak. He’s bleeding from many injuries. It’s looking bad for him. He looks out across the city. Sees a beautiful sun rising. 

The Tracker’s hound finds its way under his left hand, whining sadly, looking for his affection.

He looks down, a bit surprised. Gives it some slow scratches, feeling the fur under his hand, its head on his lap.

Caine feels his pulse slowing down.

Wick stops breathing so much, pets one let time, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his ring. 

He looks at it for a second, perched in his shaking fingers. 

We see flashbacks from the first film - him walking with his wife HELEN, kissing her, seeing her smile. 

Then he closes his fist around the ring, holding it tight. 

He closes his other hand around that fist, holding it just as tight, keeping it closed, both arms shaking. 

And with that in hand, he slowly falls to his side on the steps, the Tracker scooting away in response to him.

Lying on his side, it’s almost as if Wick is trying to sleep. His circled arms look almost like they’re curled around a lover.

His hands and body still shake, but slowly. His arms settle to the ground. Winston looks on tearfully. Caine stays where he was sitting. The Tracker looks on with amazement. And slowly, and then all at once it seems, Wick is no longer moving. The sun is shining orange.

—

EXT. ST. MICHAEL’S CEMETERY - DAY 

New York City. The sun is coming down. In St. Michael’s Cemetery, the King, Winston, Caine, and the Tracker and his dog stand over two graves. Caine has a new set of GLASSES on.

The graves are obscured by the people in front of them. We see the one on the left says “____ Wick, Beloved Wife”. The other says “John ____”, Loving ____. Winston is holding Bubba, John’s black pitbull, on a leash. 

We see what the righthand tombstone says in full -

“John Wick, Loving Husband.” 

Bubba whines sadly.

Winston says some words. He was special. He was nobody. He was good. He was bad. He was notorious. He was invisible. He was ... a dear friend.  He was a man of focus, commitment. And sheer. Fucking. Will. 

Alternatively, have him paraphrase the original John Wick speech - a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will. A husband, a son, a brother ... and a dear friend. 

Caine bows. The King raises a FLASK to him. The Tracker looks sad. The group peel away. As they do, Caine talks to Winston. Is he really dead? Winston gives a final speech as we see footage. Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. Maybe this is the last we’ll ever see of him. But it’s a sure thing ... no one will ever forget him.

The footage we see? The King in a small BOAT floating down an underground river and through a gate that opens for him.

Caine on a train looking out the window, heading to New York City and then LaGuardia to get to Paris and see his daughter.

Winston sitting at a workshop overlooking PLANS for a new Continental, Bubba in a chair at his side.

Optionally, we can also include footage of other characters - John Leguizamo’s character. Peter Stormare’s character. Randall Duk Kim’s character. Or the ladies at the assassin’s assignation bureau closing John’s file. 

And last of all, the Tracker, following the slip of paper John gave him, standing outside a STORAGE UNIT. 

He inputs the code written on the paper to a keypad. It whirs and turns green. 

He opens it up. We see what’s inside - a storage unit full of things from John Wick and Helen Wick’s life. Things that must have not fit in their house. Old PAINTINGS, some KATANAS, NOTEBOOKS, BOOKBINDING EQUIPMENT, some suspicious SUITCASES. And he reaches in and grabs the nearest thing and sees - it’s a FORM to adopt a dog from an agency, filled out by Helen Wick, to adopt a dog named Daisy.

CREDITS

Names, etcetera. Then same post-credit scene where a cheerful Caine goes to deliver flowers to his daughter, but Akira approaches him in the crowd holding a knife.