Keanu Reeves Set To Return For ‘John Wick 5’
Keanu Reeves is returning for “John Wick 5” as the nunchuck-wielding hitman, Lionsgate announced at CinemaCon on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the action franchise is expanding with an animated prequel film as well as a Caine-centric standalone adventure from director-star Donnie Yen. These projects are complementary to the upcoming Ana de Armas-led “Ballerina,” which opens in theaters on June 6.
De Armas stopped by the annual convention for movie theater owners, which is currently unfolding in Las Vegas, to showcase an extended look at “Ballerina.” In the action-packed sequence, her character Eve Macarro, a ballerina who is training to become an assassin, kicks ass as she faces off against several adversaries in an abandoned bar — shooting one baddie in the face and smashing several plates against another adversary.
Though she performed extensive physical feats in 2021’s “James Bond” sequel “No Time to Die,” de Armas said her training for “Ballerina” was unlike anything she’s endured in the past. She prepared for roughly four months, working out in the gym and visiting a shooting range (with real weapons) in addition to spending hours with the stunt team.
“For ‘Bond,’ I only had three weeks of training. ‘Ballerina’ was a whole other level,” de Armas said from the Colosseum stage at Caesar’s Palace. “This is by far the most physical and challenging thing I’ve ever done.”
Reeves will appear in “Ballerina” before he returns to the screen for “John Wick 5.” The project reunites him with franchise director and producer Chad Stahelski and Thunder Road producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee. Plot details, additional cast members and a production timeline haven’t been revealed.
The fifth chapter continues a series that began with 2014’s “John Wick,” which earned $86.1 million globally but became a sleeper hit on home entertainment. Each film improved upon the last in terms of box office grosses: 2017’s “John Wick: Chapter 2” ended its run with $174.3 million, 2019’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” climbed to $328.3 million, while 2023’s “John Wick: Chapter 4” became the highest-grossing with $440 million.
