8 Martial Arts Stars I Would Love To See In John Wick 5

Although John Wick 5 has been confirmed, there is no information about casting yet, so it’s unclear whether the franchise will maintain the tradition of casting martial arts stars in important roles. The John Wick franchise has already welcomed Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Yayan Ruhian, Mark Dacascos and Hiroyuki Sanada. Each movie seems to increase the number of actors with top-level martial arts training, and John Wick 5 could continue this trend. With martial arts becoming increasingly important to the appeal of John Wick, some big stars could be tempted to join the franchise.

Following John Wick 4‘s shocking ending, there’s no indication of what John Wick 5 will even look like. The franchise could be looking for a new star to replace Keanu Reeves, and while focus could shift toward Donnie Yen, Rina Sawayama or even Shamier Anderson, a new face seems just as likely. Until more details are revealed, fans will continue to speculate on how the franchise could move forward. With or without Keanu Reeves, John Wick 5 should continue the franchise’s trend of bringing in martial arts stars to populate its world full of assassins.

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8 Iko Uwais

The star of The Raid has already helped move the martial arts genre forward

Iko Uwais first burst onto the scene working with director Gareth Evans, first in Merantau and then in The Raid and its sequel. The Raid is one of the most revolutionary martial arts movies of recent years, and it uses dynamic camera movements to enhance the impact of the fighting, just like John Wick. Uwais plays a righteous cop who has to fight his way out of an apartment block after a raid on a drug kingpin goes wrong. The sequel maintains the stylish, hard-hitting action of the first, but it expands its scope and focuses on police corruption.

Uwais has also appeared in a few American movies to go along with his impressive list of credits in Indonesia. He had a small part in Star Wars: The Force Awakens before appearing in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins and Expend4bles. These big franchises have failed to utilize his incredible skills properly, so American audiences haven’t yet seen what Uwais is capable of. John Wick 5 could provide him with the ideal platform to deliver on his potential in a big American franchise. He just needs a good opportunity and a director who knows how to make the most of his talents.

7 Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh would be a great fit for the John Wick franchise, if she could be persuaded

Michelle Yeoh is a legend of Hong Kong action movies, and she backs up her considerable martial arts talent with equally impressive dramatic sensibilities. The Oscar winner showed a bit of both in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and she has roles in the Avatar franchise, the Wicked movies and Star Trek all coming soon. Yeoh’s career is entering another successful chapter, so casting her in John Wick 5 would represent another coup for the franchise. She would be brilliant as a member of the High Table, or perhaps a manager of a Continental in another exotic location.

Michelle Yeoh’s martial arts credentials would be a huge boost to John Wick 5. Like with the casting of Donnie Yen and Mark Dacascos, Yeoh’s casting would signify that the franchise is the zenith of martial arts excellence in the American mainstream. Her single most successful martial arts movie is probably Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but John Wick 5 could be just as impressive. Even if Yeoh doesn’t play a particularly important role, her mere presence would be a nice treat for martial arts fans. There’s no shortage to the kinds of roles she could play in the franchise.

6 Michael Jai White

White is one of the most versatile martial artists in the business

Michael Jai White is famous for comedy movies including Black Dynamite and Outlaw Johnny Black, but his martial arts skills are no laughing matter. White has seven black belts, so he could bring a variety of different fighting styles to John Wick 5. Movies like Blood and Bone and Falcon Rising show that he’s a force to be reckoned with. At his best, he has all the technical expertise of someone like Jet Li or Jackie Chan, but with the build of an NFL linebacker. Unimaginative directors have cast him as a powerful brute, but his best movies showcase his skills and intelligence as a fighter.

John Wick 5 is an enigma, but Michael Jai White has the potential to play so many different roles that the plot almost doesn’t matter. He would be able to find a role that suits him no matter what. Whether he’s another career assassin, a crime lord’s favorite enforcer or an ambitious operator within the obscure criminal world of the John Wick franchise, White would fit in perfectly. He has appeared in several movies alongside Scott Adkins, so casting Michael Jai White in John Wick 5 would be a nod to the character of Killa Harkan.

5 Tony Jaa

Tony Jaa’s American movies haven’t yet showed his full potential

Tony Jaa’s best movies highlight his remarkable career, which has taken him all over the world to appear in a wide variety of action movies. Jaa may be best known to Western audiences for his scene-stealing role in Furious 7 or his villainous turn in Expend4ables, but his best work has typically come in movies produced in China or his native Thailand. Jaa can play heroes or villains, and he has just as much experience in supporting roles as he does as a leading man. No matter how much screen time Jaa gets, he always leaves his mark on a movie.

Tony Jaa’s breakout role came in the movie Ong-Bak, in which he plays a heroic martial artist who takes on a fearsome crime lord. The movie heralded Jaa’s arrival as a martial arts star, and the sequels allowed him the chance to develop his skills as a director. A martial arts actor with a director’s skill set is rare, but it means that Jaa has an intimate knowledge of every aspect of filmmaking. He could bring a lot more than just his fighting skills to John Wick 5. Jaa has also worked as a stunt performer and an action choreographer.

4 Conor McGregor

The UFC champion would be a wildcard casting choice, but the potential upside is huge

The former UFC double champion would be a rogue choice for John Wick 5, but Conor McGregor’s debut performance in Road House suggests he could have a career as an action star ahead of him. McGregor shows up around the halfway point of Jake Gyllenhaal’s action movie remake, and he immediately becomes the center of attention. He may not be the greatest actor, far from it actually, but his famous confidence and his fighting pedigree mean that he is undeniably captivating as the volatile villain who enters the fray simply to cause a commotion.

With just one acting credit under his belt, Conor McGregor still represents a huge risk for any big franchise looking for their next star. While he probably shouldn’t be given a substantial role, he showed in Road House that he has that something special that makes fight scenes pop. His real-life reputation as a brash but brilliant fighter could either be a help or a hindrance to John Wick 5. It would all depend on whether the franchise could find a way to best showcase his absurd charisma without him becoming too much of a distraction.

3 Karen Fukuhara

The star of The Boys deserves a chance to shine on the big screen

Karen Fukuhara is most famous for her role as Kimiko in The Boys. In a show filled with super-powered fight scenes, her genuine technical ability represents a breath of fresh air. Her character does have extreme strength and durability, but her martial arts talents give the show the opportunity to develop a different kind of action. Fukuhara also played Katana in Suicide Squad. The DC team-up movie was a critical failure, and Fukuhara has sadly found very few other movie roles. While her performances in The Boys are a consistent high point of the show, John Wick 5 would give her the chance to step into the spotlight.

Karen Fukuhara has been steadily building an impressive career as a voice actor, but she deserves more live-action roles to showcase what she can do in the action genre. John Wick 5 could go in any number of directions, but the franchise will always have room for impressive hand-to-hand combat. Fukuhara’s background in karate could be a big positive for the franchise, and casting her could give her the opportunity to break out from the shadow of The Boys. She’s an actor with a lot of untapped potential.

2 Jason Statham

The British action star doesn’t always get the chance to show off his martial arts skills

Jason Statham recently starred in The Beekeeper, which turned into a surprise hit. The British actor has a long list of impressive credits to his name, but not all of them showcase his martial arts background. Even some of his biggest action movies are more about his tough-guy persona than his actual abilities. Statham is at his best when he is given license to have a little fun, and he combines a wry wit with no-holds-barred action. He’s also no stranger to big franchises, having played Deckard Shaw in the Fast and Furious franchise and Lee Christmas in The Expendables.

Jason Statham is one of the industry’s most bankable stars, so he could be an interesting choice if John Wick does decide to move forward without Keanu Reeves. Statham and Reeves both have a few movies which showcase their martial arts training and plenty of other movies which don’t. He could be a natural successor as John Wick‘s leading man, or he could just as easily play a smaller role in the franchise. A Reeves versus Statham fight would be an exciting prospect, or he could be the concierge of the London branch of the Continental.

1 Dev Patel

The Monkey Man star could be ready to kickstart a new career as a martial arts star

Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, has already started earning comparisons to the John Wick franchise. With its punchy visuals and neon-drenched atmosphere, Monkey Man is one of many action movies within the last decade which seem to imitate the style of John Wick, but it also has its own emotional story and plenty of originality. Patel’s performance in Monkey Man comes as a bit of a surprise, since he has largely been keeping his martial arts skills separate from his career as an actor. Movies like Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel aren’t exactly what one would expect from a martial artist.

Monkey Man suggests that Dev Patel could be transitioning into a new era for his career. His interviews have made it clear that the movie was something of a passion project for him, so it’s possible he could be ready to appear in more action movies. The John Wick franchise would be the ideal stage for him to establish himself as a martial arts star of the future. He’s another potential candidate to replace Keanu Reeves as the star for John Wick 5.