John Wick 5 confirmed to be in works but Keanu Reeves’ return to franchise remains in doubt

There’s good and bad news for fans of the popular film franchise John Wick.

A fifth installment of the neo-noir action thriller has been confirmed by a studio executive at Lionsgate, but still the status of leading man Keanu Reeves returning as the beloved assassin is still very much unclear.   

In fact, there’s even prevailing doubt from Reeves himself that he will slip back into the role for a fourth sequel considering his character appeared to be killed off at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

But that hasn’t stopped the film studio from taking advantage of the franchise’s moneymaking potential with more storytelling in the John Wick universe.

‘This world continues to grow and expand in incredible ways,’ Jenefer Brown, EVP and Head of Global Products & Experiences at Lionsgate, told Comicbook.com about the franchise’s future. ‘Up next, of course, we have Ballerina, which is our first spin-off movie and [we] can’t wait for that to release to the world.’

She added, ‘Of course, we’ve announced we’re working on a fifth John Wick film. I think there are more spinoffs to come, a TV series, video game.’

The fifth installment in the John Wick film franchise has been confirmed by a Lionsgate executive, but Keanu Reeves’ return as the beloved assassin is still very much unclear

‘Of course, we’ve announced we’re working on a fifth John Wick film. I think there are more spinoffs to come, a TV series, video game,’ exec Jenefer Brown told Comicbook.com

When pressed about Reeves’s possible return to the film flagship, she continued, ‘We’ve shared that we’re developing a fifth John Wick film… [John Wick] may be [dead]. We are all on baited breath waiting to find out.’   

In a recent interview the actor sounded as if he had no plans to do another John Wick film, going as far as to imply Wick’s final demise in the last chapter after plugging the upcoming spin-off that stars Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro.

‘Well, there’s a version of it called Ballerina which is in the John Wick world, and John Wick makes a brief appearance. So other than that I have no idea,’ he told Extra TV about a fifth film late February.

When asked if he would be open to do more, he said: ‘You know, the character’s dead. He died in John Wick Chapter 4,’ all while smiling and laughing.

He went on to acknowledge he’s very much aware of Hollywood’s penchant to resurrect popular characters, but still insisted, ‘Right now? Right now there isn’t’ a plan for him to return.

In the franchise, Reeves plays the title role of John Wick, a retired hitman who’s built up a legendary reputation in the criminal underworld and is pulled back into the violent life against his will. 

Directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, the original film also starred Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Willem Dafoe. 

It went on to become a hit at the worldwide box office, grossing $86 million against a budget of $20–30 million.

‘We’ve shared that we’re developing a fifth John Wick film… [John Wick] may be [dead]. We are all on baited breath waiting to find out,’ Brown added when pressed about Reeves’ return

The John Wick film franchise, which began in 2014, has seen it’s box office receipts grown exponentially over the course of the four installments

Stahelski and Kolstad teamed up again for the first sequel three years later, with Moynahan, Leguizamo and McShane reprising their roles, along with new cast members Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare and Franco Nero.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) ended up doing even better at the box office, raking in $171.5 million from a budget of about $40 million.

Stahelski returned to the director’s chair for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), only this time working from a screenplay by Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams, and featuring new cast members Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, Anjelica Huston and Asia Kate Dillon.

Asked about another stint as John Wick, Reeves told Extra TV: ‘You know, the character’s dead. He died in John Wick Chapter 4’, adding ‘Right now? Right now there isn’t [a plan]’

Following the trend of the first two movies, Chapter 3 topped both of the previous installments in regards to moneymaking, earning a whopping $327.3 million against a budget of $75 million. 

Reeves returned for Chapter 4 with such cast regulars as Ian McShane (Winston), the late Lance Reddick (Charon) and Laurence Fishburne (Bowery King).

Continuing its upward trend at the box office, it went on to gross a staggering $440.1 million while working with a budget of about $100 million.

From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina, which takes place sometime during the events of the third film, is slated to premiere in theaters on June 6.