Keanu Reeves questions physical limits for next John Wick
Sixty-year-old Keanu Reeves, who has been portraying John Wick for a decade, admitted that he is unsure if he can return to the role due to the physical demands of the film series.
The first film in the series, "John Wick," was released in 2014 and quickly became a hit, earning $86 million USD with a budget of about $30 million USD. The following installments continued the success: "John Wick 2" from 2017 gathered $171.5 million USD, and "John Wick 3" from 2019 grossed $327.3 million USD. The fourth installment was the most expensive but also the most profitable. It is known that the production team would like to keep it going, but can Keanu manage it?
Will Keanu Reeves be done with John Wick for good?
During his recent appearance on "CBS This Morning" at 7:00 a.m. ET, promoting the film "Sonic 3," Reeves was asked about the possibility of reprising his role as John Wick. The actor responded, "You can never say never, but my knees right now are saying, ‘You can’t do another John Wick'. So, my heart does, but I don’t know if my knees can do it."
The latest installment, "John Wick 4," premiered on March 24 last year and has earned $440 million USD so far. The film was more costly, consuming about $100 million USD. The film's finale left viewers uncertain about the fate of the main character, although it seemed like fans had to say goodbye to Wick for good.
Reeves shared the difficulties of filming, focusing particularly on the physical demands required to bring Chad Stahelski's vision to life. The film features numerous action sequences, and production for the fourth instalment lasted over 100 days. During this time, he spent roughly 80 days on stunts and action scenes. While acknowledging the immense challenge, he described the experience as the most demanding and enjoyable task he had undertaken.
Although work on the fifth installment of the series has already been confirmed, and production is set to begin next year, Reeves expressed doubts about his participation. Director Chad Stahelski revealed in an interview with "The Hollywood Reporter" that the upcoming film will begin with a new storyline rather than directly continue with the previous part.
Moreover, a new story in the "John Wick" universe has been announced for June 6, 2025. It's titled "Ballerina" with Ana De Armas, where a star from previous films will be featured. This new production is a fresh installment of the dark world of assassins. This time, the main character will be Eve, a former ballerina trained as an assassin seeking revenge on those who took her family.
