Keanu Reeves wanted to be ‘definitively killed off’ in John Wick: Chapter 4 according to producer Basil Iwanyk
- SPOILERS: There will be SPOILERS for John Wick: Chapter 4 below so read on at your own risk
- Reeves, 59, is said to be a ‘shell of himself’ after making each John Wick movie because he puts so much into it, according to producer Basil Iwanyk
- He asked to be ‘definitively killed off’ in this latest movie… though the producers left a ‘10% little opening’ that he could still be alive
Nine years after the first John Wick movie became a surprise hit, John Wick: Chapter 4 seemingly closed the book on the film franchise… but there’s a chance he could return.
Reeves, 59, was seemingly killed off in John Wick: Chapter 4, which hit theaters in March and took in a franchise-best $187.1 million domestically and $426.5 million worldwide from a reported $100 million budget.
The end of the film seems to indicate Reeves’ title character is dead, with Winston (Ian McShane) and The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburn) even visiting John’s grave.
The franchise will continue with the prequel TV series The Continental, debuting on the Peacock streaming service on September 22.
Producer Basil Iwanyk revealed in a new interview with Collider that Reeves wanted to be ‘definitively killed off’ in the fourth movie… but added there is a ‘10% little opening’ that he could return.
Franchise: Nine years after the first John Wick movie became a surprise hit, John Wick: Chapter 4 seemingly closed the book on the film franchise… but there’s a chance he could return
Return: Producer Basil Iwanyk revealed in a new interview with Collider that Reeves wanted to be ‘definitively killed off’ in the fourth movie… but added there is a ‘10% little opening’ that he could return
‘After the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movie, making these films is so exhausting and it destroys Keanu, physically and emotionally,’ Iwanyk began.
‘By the end, he’s always like, “I can’t do this again,” and we agree with him. The guy is just a shell of himself because he just goes off and goes for it,’ he added.
‘He was like, “I wanna be definitively killed at the end of this movie.” We were like, “You know, we’ll leave a 10% little opening,”‘ Iwanyk revealed.
‘We all want another John Wick. We don’t know what it looks like and when it will happen, but we love each other and we love this world,” he continued.
‘It’s gonna be all hands to try to figure it out. Have we figured it out? No. And if we can’t figure it out, will there be one? No, of course not. No one is gonna try to just jam it for the sake of jamming it,’ Iwanyk admitted.
The producer added that himself, Reeves and director Chad Stahelski (who was Reeves stunt double on The Matrix) have become such good friends they want to keep making John Wick movies just to work with each other again.
‘We’ve all become such good friends and we all like each other so much and we’re all so tickled by the success of these movies, critically and commercially that we all think to ourselves, “Okay, how do we get the band back together, in a way that merits a good story in the next evolution of John,'”‘ Iwanyk said.
‘At this point, it’s Keanu and Chad [Stahelski] getting together to figure out what that story is. The way I describe it is that they’re like Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and I’m Ringo. They’ll call me and let me know, “All right, we’re showing up. Here’s where you show up, and here’s what our story is,”‘ he admitted.
Exhausting: ‘After the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movie, making these films is so exhausting and it destroys Keanu, physically and emotionally,’ Iwanyk began
Going off: ‘By the end, he’s always like, “I can’t do this again,” and we agree with him. The guy is just a shell of himself because he just goes off and goes for it,’ he added
Good friends: ‘We’ve all become such good friends and we all like each other so much and we’re all so tickled by the success of these movies, critically and commercially that we all think to ourselves, “Okay, how do we get the band back together, in a way that merits a good story in the next evolution of John,'”‘ Iwanyk said
The John Wick franchise has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, and is one of the few franchises that improves both its domestic and worldwide gross after each film.
The first John Wick movie – directed by Stahelski and David Leitch – was produced on just a $20 million budget and earned $43 million domestic and $86 million worldwide.
The second movie – John Wick: Chapter 2 – earned $92 million domestic and $174.3 million worldwide from a $40 million budget.
The third movie – John Wick: Chapter 3 – took in $171 million domestic and $328.3 millon worldwide from a $75 million budget.
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