The man who shot and killed John Lennon is again up for parole.

Mark David Chapman is scheduled to go before New York’s correctional board next week, US Today reports.

Chapman, 63, is serving 20 years to life in the Wende Correctional Facility in western New York after gunning down the former Beatle outside his Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980.

It will be Chapman’s 10th attempt to win release after being denied parole two years ago.

In denying his release in 2016, the parole board acknowledged that Chapman has described the murder as "selfish and evil”, it determined he should remain behind bars.

The decision was made in part because of the premeditated and "celebrity-seeking" nature of the crime.

Chapman fired at Lennon five times, hitting him four times in the back. Lennon was 40 at the time of his death.

After the shooting Chapman sat down on a nearby curb reading the novel The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested by police.

Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, has opposed attempts by Chapman to be paroled, reportedly claiming it would put her and Lennon’s two sons in danger.

Lennon had two children – Julian to first wife Cynthia and Sean to his second wife Ono.

Lennon was a member of the Beatles from 1960 until around 1969 when he left the group to go solo. The band broke-up in 1970.

The Beatles, who were also known by their fans as the Fab Four, have had more number one-albums on the British charts and sold more singles than any other band.

According to CBS, the band from Liverpool have sold more than 170 million albums, with more than 1.6 billion singles sold in the US alone.

A decision on Chapman’s release should be known within two weeks of his appearance before the parole board.