NEWSKeanu Reeves Demands 'John Wick 5' Script Match His Age as He Prepares for $35 Million Payday: 'There's No Faking This'
Keanu Reeves pushed for a realistic 'John Wick 5' script to reflect his age and physical limits.
June 21 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Keanu Reeves is ready for another round in the John Wick franchise, but this time, he's demanding that the script reflects his aging body. The action star, 60, knows he has pushed his limits throughout his martial arts-heavy career.
The grueling work will pay off — Reeves stands to make a staggering $35 million for the upcoming fifth installment.
"What's happening with John Wick right now is the slow walk-up that goes along with any Keanu Reeves movie these days," the insider told a news outlet.
Keanu Reeves earned just $2 million for the first film but negotiated bigger paydays for each sequel.
"The script is being written and Keanu is being perfectly honest about what he's willing and not willing to do stunt-wise. There's no faking this. He's being totally honest about what he can and can't do, and he has put his body through h--- for these movies," the insider shared.
In the past decade, the Speed star has raked in an estimated $22 million from the franchise, with the majority coming from John Wick 4, which netted him about $15 million. As he gears up for the next film, the source noted that the payday only grows.
"He feels he's earned every penny for what he's put himself through," the insider added.
Keanu Reeves, now 60, has been upfront about his stunt limitations.
"It's a work in progress, and it's what you get when you agree to pay Keanu $35 million for a giant action sequel," the source continued. "He's going to do everything and anything he possibly can to make this work, but he's in his sixties now and everybody has their limits."
While Reeves took a more conservative approach, A-list stunt king Tom Cruise continued to defy age. At 62, the Mission: Impossible star refused to back down, despite his injuries sustained over the years.
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Keanu Reeves is still committed to making the next chapter of 'John Wick' work, a source said.
"Family, friends and colleagues are telling him to hang it up, that there's nothing to prove," a separate source told In Touch. "But Tom says part of the fun of filmmaking for him is doing his own stunts and he's not giving that up."
Even with a more mindful strategy, Reeves remained on board with Cruise's philosophy — it's not quite time to hang it all up yet.
Keanu Reeves now advocates for age-appropriate action scenes.
"What's amazing is how much foresight Keanu has had when it comes to this franchise," the insider explained. "He agreed to make the first movie back in 2014 for around $2 million, as long as he got a huge raise in the event of sequels. It was basically an indie movie, and Keanu loves betting on himself. Cut to 10 years later and he has made a mountain of money from this character."
"The Wick franchise was a genius financial move that paid off in spades," the insider added. "Keanu isn't giving up on that world anytime soon, but he needs the writing to reflect his age and his limitations so he has a chance of surpassing them, which he always does!"
