Hollywood star Keanu Reeves is on the fence about doing John Wick 5: This is why

Keanu Reeves is eager to return for John Wick 5, but he's unsure if his body can keep up with the intense action. While promoting his role as the villain Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on an American talk show, Reeves opened up about the challenges of reprising his iconic role. “You can never say never — but my knees right now are saying, ‘You can’t do another John Wick. So my heart [wants to], but I don’t know if my knees can do it,’” he shared with a laugh.

The John Wick franchise, which began in 2014, has become a major success, with Reeves playing the title character, a skilled assassin seeking revenge on Russian mobsters responsible for the death of his dog. Reflecting on the first film's 10th anniversary during a special screening in Los Angeles last month, Reeves called the experience a “gift.”

He recalled, “I had so many wonderful teachers and guidance and worked with so many talented actors, actresses and stunt people, in the sense of it’s such a dance and collaboration and cooperation. So there’s a couple of times where you throw up or puke or whatever, but that’s what makes it good.”

At the same anniversary event, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch both agreed that Reeves is the only actor who could embody the character of John Wick. "There really is no other person that could play John Wick. He brings, obviously, the passion, the physicality, and there's just this undeniable emotional quality to him, where you feel for him and he pulls at your heartstrings," Leitch had said at the event.

The success of the franchise speaks for itself, with four action-packed films, a prequel series The Continental, video game adaptations, and a comic book series, all contributing to over $1 billion in worldwide earnings. Reeves recently made a cameo as John Wick in the upcoming spinoff film From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, continuing his iconic role in the expanding universe.