Reeves will appear as John Wick in the upcoming film, titled 'Ballerina.'
Yeah, he's thinking he's back... again!
Keanu Reeves returns as the titular hitman in John Wick Chapter 4, once again embodying his latest iconic character -- who came out of retirement in the franchise's first film to avenge his dead puppy, and has been on the run ever since.
Chapter 4 finds John Wick fighting his way around the world as he searches for a way to defeat the High Table. Despite the harrowing action scenes, Reeves says he had a blast returning to the role.
"I love playing the character. I love the world of John Wick," he raved. "Chapter 4 is so ambitious. The director, Chad Stahelski, had such an expansive vision for the film. We have so many new characters."
Reeves noted that he feels like the John Wick films have a "different flavor" than other action movies, and perhaps that's been the secret to their continued success.
"It feels authentic in a way, you know what I mean?" he shared. "It still has that independent movie spirit."
"I feel like John Wick gives audiences heart, like, come on in! Come along for the ride!" Reeves continued. "Buckle up, you're going to see some action. It's gonna be funny, there's gonna be some ideas, rules, consequences, survive getting knocked down and get back up. Fight for your freedom. Go against the man. So, there's a lot of things that we can relate to."
Even going into his fourth film in the franchise, however, it's impossible to call John Wick Reeves' most iconic character. What about The Matrix's Neo? Theodore Logan, aka Ted from Bill & Ted? Heck, he's been John Constantine and played the voice of Batman!
Ever humble, Reeves says that his fan-favorite roles -- which are often quoted at him in public -- are a testament to the entire teams behind those films.
"I think it speaks to the films that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of," he said of fan recognition. "I mean, I’m working with amazing artists and stories. And these directors and people and studios sometimes agree to let me be a part of telling stories."
Part of being an artist, however, is watching others interpret your vision in a new way. Reeves drew on that analogy when he spoke about welcoming Ana de Armas to the John Wick franchise. The Cuban actress is set to star in Ballerina, a film based on a character introduced in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum.
In Ballerina -- which is set between the events in Parabellum and Chapter 4 -- de Armas plays Rooney, a former dancer seeking to avenge her family.
"She's an amazing artist," Reeves raved of the actress. "The story existed, and this artist is a wonderful fit for it... Ana was like, 'I love that painting, but I’m going to go make that my own.' So it was cool to be in someone else’s painting but to be the paint, and the landscape."
John Wick Chapter 4 is in theaters March 24.
RELATED CONTENT:
