Keanu Reeves, known as 基努·李維斯 in China, starred in the “John Wick” film series, with the first installment released in 2014 and the fourth in 2023. Despite the character of “John Wick,” played by Keanu Reeves, meeting his demise in the fourth installment, Jenefer Brown, the Executive Vice President of Lionsgate, recently confirmed that the series is in production for its fifth installment.
According to data from the box office website Box Office Mojo, each sequel of the “John Wick” series has surpassed its predecessor in terms of box office performance. The global box office revenues have shown a steady increase from $86.08 million for the first film in 2014, to $174 million for the second film in 2017, $328 million for the third film in 2019, and $429 million for the fourth film in 2023. Despite the apparent conclusion in the fourth installment, the production company seems determined to continue this highly popular film series.
A report from “ComicBook” on March 12th revealed that Jenefer Brown-Janne, the Executive Vice President at Lionsgate, stated: “This cinematic universe is continuing to grow and expand in incredible ways.” They are set to release a spin-off film titled “Ballerina,” starring Ana de Armas, alongside the upcoming “John Wick 5.” Janne further announced, “We are also in the process of developing more spin-offs, including TV shows and video games.”
However, when questioned about the plot developments and specifics, Jenefer Brown added that while John Wick may have met his fate, “we are all on the edge of our seats, waiting for answers,” without confirming whether Keanu Reeves will return to portray the character.
The announcement of the production of “John Wick 5” by Jenefer Brown came as a pleasant surprise, given Keanu Reeves’ previous statements that the character of “John Wick” had reached his end. In Hollywood, anything is possible, including the resurrection of deceased characters.
The article also speculates that perhaps Keanu Reeves is intentionally misleading everyone, or the studio plans to continue the film series regardless of Keanu Reeves’ involvement, which undoubtedly will disappoint many fans.
In fact, Keanu Reeves had previously mentioned in an interview that it would be challenging to continue the “John Wick” series, stating that “John Wick 4” would be the last film. Even if he desired to continue, he expressed uncertainty about the durability of his knees, mentioning an incident in January last year when he fractured his knee after tripping on a carpet while filming “Good Fortune.” He was seen limping with a cane on set, with an ice pack on his knee.
Nevertheless, Keanu Reeves confirmed at that time that he would make a cameo appearance in “John Wick: Ballerina.” The plot of the film unfolds between “John Wick 3” and “John Wick 4,” depicting the untold story before the events of the fourth film, in which his assassin character, John Wick, and Eve Macarro, played by Ana de Armas, collaborate. The film is set for release in North America on June 6th.