Keanu Reeves will be back as the legendary assassin John Wick for at least one more round of ultra-violent, pulse-pounding action. Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment have confirmed that John Wick 4 is indeed in the works. What's more, they've already locked down a release date for the sequel, and it's coming a little bit sooner than some may think, as the studio has planted a flag for May 2021.

The news was confirmed by the studio via a text message that was sent to those who had signed up for updates regarding John Wick 3: Parabellum. The text message not only confirmed that a fourth installment is happening, but revealed a May 21, 2021 release date. That means Lionsgate is sticking to their strategy of treating this as more of a summer blockbuster action franchise. The previous two installments were released in October 2014 and February 2017, respectively. At the present time, no further details have been revealed, but it would seem that the creative team is already in place and they know where the story is going to go, since they already have the release date locked down.

Keanu Reevess has stated he's more than willing to return to the role. Director Chad Stahelski also previously expressed his desire to continue on with the franchise. It would stand to reason the studio would do everything they can to keep him on board. Stahelski co-directed the first movie with David Leitch, who has since moved on to helm movies like Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2. Stahelski has helmed the other two entries in the series on his own. The results speak for themselves, as the movies have been both critically praised and commercially successful.

John Wick: Chapter 3 earned a series-best debut with $57 million at the box office over the weekend, dethroning Avengers: Endgame for the top spot. The latest chapter has also done extremely well, critically speaking, as it currently boasts an 88 percent approval rating from critics, to go along with a stellar 92 percent audience rating. These are crowd pleasers in the truest sense. Couple that with the fact that Lionsgate doesn't have much in the way of bankable franchises and it makes perfect sense that they would try to keep the momentum going.

Without spoiling it for those who perhaps haven't had a chance to see the latest entry, it did very much leave the door wide open for a fourth movie. For now, there is no word on who else would possibly be returning alongside Keanu Reeves, but Ian McShane (Winston), Lance Reddick (Charon) and Laurence Fishburne (the Bowery King) would seem to be likely candidates. Newcomers such as Halle Berry (Sofia) and Asia Kate Dillon (the Adjudicator) also seem like safe bets to return in Chapter 4. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details on the project are revealed by Lionsgate.