'Jackass 4' Will Be Johnny Knoxville's Final Movie In The Franchise

Johnny Knoxville has pulled his final death-defying prank. The star of the Jackass film series confirmed that the upcoming Jackass 4 will "be his last contribution to the franchise," essentially guaranteeing it will also be the final Jackass film.

After 20 years of starring in a daredevil stunt franchise that has left him with shattered bones, dented teeth, destroyed ankles, and many concussions, Johnny Knoxville is throwing in the towel for the Jackass series. In an interview with GQ, Knoxville confirmed that the upcoming Jeff Tremaine-directed Jackass 4 will be his final Jackass movie. And it couldn't come sooner, as GQ notes that Knoxville spent the interview "marveling at the absurdity of what he had just put his body through." Knoxville said:

"You can only take so many chances before something irreversible happens. I feel like I've been extremely lucky to take the chances I've taken and still be walking around."

While Knoxville says that he knows "what he signed up for" with the franchise – he helped design many of the wild stunts that earned the franchise its infamy – he also acknowledged that he never thought how it would affect him in the longterm. "Half-ass stuntmen don't really think long-term,"Knoxville said. In the longterm, Knoxville has suffered dozens of injuries, most of which have become almost impossible to recuperate as he got older.

Notably, Knoxville was injured more times while filming 2018's Action Point than his past films throughout his entire career, including four concussions, stitches, a couple lost teeth, and an eye popping out of its socket. At that point, Knoxville said he knew his "stunt career was winding down." When his cast members reached out about doing another Jackass movie, Knoxville was reluctant.

"I didn't feel the need or the desire," Knoxville said. "It's a real emotional thing... I can't afford to have any more concussions. I can't put my family through that."

And the injuries only worsened over time, according to Knoxville's co-star Steve-O. "Filming Jackass at this age is much the same as it ever was, with two big differences," Steve-O said. "Our bones break significantly easier. And it takes less to knock us completely unconscious. Plus longer to wake up."

This seems like a wise decision on Knoxville's part, especially with the stuntman recently hitting 50 years old. And with the face of the Jackass franchise leaving the films behind, we can likely expect the Jackass movies to also be done for good. Unless some other, newer daredevils want to risk their lives all over again.

Jackass 4 hits theaters October 22, 2021.