Keanu Reeves wanted John Wick to be killed off in 4th installment, says franchise producer

Keanu Reeves has been actively working in the industry since the 80s. The Hollywood actor has been in several iconic franchises such as Speed (1990) and The Matrix (1999). Several decades down the line, Reeves saw his image reinvention with the John Wick franchise, which is high on action. With four successful movies in the franchise, Reeves apparently wanted to hang the cape and be 'killed off' in the latest installment. 

3 things you need to know:

• John Wick Chapter 1 was released on October 24, 2014. 
• John Wick Chapter 4 ended on a cliffhanger. 
• Stuntman turned-director Chad Stahelski has created the John Wick franchise. 

Keanu Reeves didn't want to go beyond John Wick 4

In a recent conversation with Collider, John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk said that the franchise has been hard on Reeves. He said that the process of making these films took a toll on him, physically and emotionally. 

(Keanu Reeves has been part of the John Wick franchise since 2014 | Image: IMDb)

He said, "After the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movie, making these films is so exhausting and it destroys Keanu, physically and emotionally." However, even at the end of John Wick 4, a small opening for his return was placed. 

How John Wick 4 leaves the door open

Continuing on Reeves’ desire to not return, Iwanyk said that Reeves had consistently expressed his desire for the character to be killed off. However, the team wanted to leave a small opening for his return in a possible future installment. Iwanyk said, “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.’”

The producer also spoke about how there’s a strong camaraderie between Reeves, director Chad Stahelski and the rest of the John Wick crew. Iwanyk said while describing Reeves, Stahelski and himself, “They’re like Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and I’m Ringo.”