Lionsgate confirms 'John Wick 5'

Los Angeles: Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick” saga is getting bigger as Lionsgate has announced the fifth part in the series that will be shot back-to-back with the fourth film.

The announcement was made by Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer during an analyst call, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“We’re also busy preparing scripts for the next two instalments of our ‘John Wick’ action franchise, with ‘John Wick 4’ slated to hit theatres on Memorial Day weekend 2022. We hope to shoot both ‘John Wick’ 4 and 5 back-to-back when Keanu becomes available early next year,” Feltheimer announced.

The neo-noir action series started with 2014’s “John Wick” that featured Reeves as the titular retired assassin searching for the men who broke into his home, stole his vintage car and killed his puppy, which was the last gift to him from his recently deceased wife.

The movie, directed by Chad Stahelski, turned out to be a huge blockbuster for the studio, earning USD 86 million against USD 20 million budget.

Critics had universally praised the movie for its action sequences, story and Reeves performance.

It was followed by two sequels so far – “John Wick: Chapter 2” and “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.” Both were also major hits and received overwhelming reviews from the critics.

The fourth part was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on May 21, 2021, but was pushed to May 27, 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Reeves is currently shooting Matrix 4 in Berlin after production on the Warner Bros franchise film had to be halted due to COVID-19.