We Have A Better Idea Of What Bill Skarsgård's Marquis Does In John Wick 4 Now

Distributor Lionsgate premiered a lengthy trailer for the fourth film in the "John Wick" franchise on November 10. This "John Wick: Chapter 4" trailer, which includes a number of small details some viewers may have missed, gave viewers its first extended look at the plot of the film since its announcement. As seen in the trailer, a character named the Marquis de Gramont, portrayed by Bill Skarsgård, seems to be either the primary antagonist of "Chapter 4" or at least a significant adversary for Keanu Reeves' titular character.

When, in June of 2021, news of Skarsgård's casting broke, fans were enthusiastic in large part, citing his role as Pennywise the Clown in Andy Muschietti's "It" films as well as the overall talent of the Skarsgård family as reasons for their excitement. Since then, Skarsgård has appeared in the acclaimed 2022 horror movie "Barbarian," adding another highlight to his growing resume.

Roughly one month after his casting was announced, Skarsgård characterized his "John Wick 4" role in notably vague terms, leaving The Marquis shrouded in mystery. Now, with the film's release roughly six months away, its director Chad Stahelski discussed The Marquis de Gramont in an interview about some of the new characters introduced in "Chapter 4," providing some of the first concrete details about The Marquis since the news of Skarsgård's casting first began circulating.

On November 15, less than a week after Lionsgate's lengthy "John Wick: Chapter 4" trailer premiered, Collider published an interview with director Chad Stahelski in which he discussed both the next chapter of the "John Wick" film series and plans for the franchise at large. At one point during their conversation, interviewer Steven Weintraub asked Stahelski to describe the character Bill Skarsgård portrays in "Chapter 4."

"His character's name, his broad name, is The Marquis," Stahelski said. "The Marquis is, without giving too much away, I wouldn't really say the antagonist, but he's the one in charge of cleaning up all the messes from the first three movies."

Weintraub then followed up by characterizing the Marquis, based on footage of the character in the most recent "Chapter 4" trailer, as someone whose presence shakes up the established hierarchy of the "John Wick" universe. "Yeah, complete reboot to the pecking order," Stahelski added. "He's being brought in to reset the calendar."

In an August 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski credited his cast with elevating "Chapter 4" to the heights established by the franchise's previous entries. From the sound of it, then, Stahelski has faith in the ability of Skarsgård to skillfully portray the still largely mysterious Marquis, whose arrival seems to carry significant implications for "John Wick" moving forward.