Shay Hatten

Shay Hatten is an American screenwriter whose credits include films in the *John Wick* franchise and *Army of the Dead*. He began working in the film industry as an assistant to filmmaker Chad Stahelski, a background that connected him to the action series he would later help write. Hatten’s work is associated with screenplays built around detailed action, criminal organizations, and tightly defined rules for their fictional worlds.

Hatten received a story credit on *John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum*, released in 2019, and a screenplay credit alongside Chris Collins and Derek Kolstad. The film continues the story of former assassin John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves, after the global criminal organization known as the High Table declares him excommunicado. Pursued by assassins, Wick seeks help from old allies while trying to reach the Elder, a powerful figure within the organization. The movie expands the franchise’s underworld through institutions such as the Continental hotels, the Adjudicator, and the Casablanca-based criminal network run by Sofia, played by Halle Berry.

Hatten also co-wrote *Army of the Dead*, directed by Zack Snyder and released by Netflix in 2021. The film follows a group led by former soldier Scott Ward, played by Dave Bautista, as they enter a quarantined, zombie-infested Las Vegas to steal money from a casino vault. Hatten shared screenplay credit with Snyder and Joby Harold. Its premise combines a heist structure with a zombie outbreak, and its setting makes the ruined city central to the story rather than merely a backdrop.

His involvement in the *John Wick* series continued with *John Wick: Chapter 4*, released in 2023. Hatten wrote the screenplay with Michael Finch; Derek Kolstad, who wrote earlier installments, was not a credited screenwriter on this film. The story follows Wick as he seeks a way to defeat the High Table, leading to confrontations in cities including Osaka, Berlin, and Paris. The film’s action sequences include a fight through a Paris apartment building and a climactic duel at the steps of Sacré-Cœur.

Hatten’s credits also include *Ballerina*, the *John Wick* franchise spin-off starring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a trained assassin. The film takes place within the franchise’s world of professional killers and was directed by Len Wiseman. Hatten’s work across these productions places him among the screenwriters who have helped extend the *John Wick* universe beyond its original protagonist, while also writing for projects with distinct structures, from a Las Vegas vault heist to an international revenge story.