Lionsgate
If you’d told me back in 2014 that Keanu Reeves’ upcoming John Wick franchise would develop to such a point that it would enter the conversation of being the greatest all-time action movie franchise, I’d kindly ask you to roll up a freshie with whatever it is your burning, because I want in on that high.
At the time, while Keanu Reeves was still Keanu Reeves, he hadn’t anchored an action franchise in over a decade since The Matrix trilogy came to a conclusion in 2003. In the years between The Matrix Revolutions and John Wick, Reeves found himself in something of a no-man’s-land, appearing in highly-forgettable projects such as Constantine (which I actually love), The Lake House, A Scanner Darkly, and Street Kings.
But then John Wick entered our lives and not only revitalized Reeves’ career, but recontextualized his legacy: with Point Break, Speed, The Matrix franchise, and now the John Wick franchise under his belt, it can be argued that he’s the greatest action star of his generation.
Keanu Reeves is back in the back-to-back sequels game with John Wick 4 and 5 aiming to film consecutively next year.
On today’s Lionsgate earnings call, the studio’s CEO John Feltheimer said, “We’re also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our John Wick action franchise, with John Wick 4 slated to hit theatres Memorial Day weekend 2022. We hope to shoot both John Wick 4 & 5 back to back when Keanu becomes available early next year.” [via Deadline]
Point Break. Speed. The Matrix. John Wick.
🗣Is Keanu Reeves the greatest action star of his generation?🍿🎬 pic.twitter.com/JHcW1xAXQN
— BroBible (@BroBible) August 6, 2020
John Wick 4 isn’t airing until 2022, with John Wick 5 probably dropping a year later — that’ll mark over 30 years since Point Break hit theaters in 1991 and yet Reeves is still on the top of the game, perhaps more so now than ever (not only are two more John Wick sequels on the way, but The Matrix 4 is also set to drop next year).
Wick 4 and Wick 5 aren’t the only franchise projects currently in development, as the spin-off series The Continental is aiming to premiere on Starz after the release of the fourth film.