Quick summary
- Lionsgate has greenlit an animated John Wick film, and Keanu Reeves has signed to reprise the role, according to GeekTyrant, Vital Thrills and Collider.
- It is a prequel about the “Impossible Task” that freed Wick from the High Table before the first film.
- Shannon Tindle directs, from a script by Ryan and Kaz Firpo.
- Lionsgate has not announced a release date.
John Wick is heading into animation. Lionsgate has greenlit an animated John Wick movie with Reeves back as the assassin, and the story will go back to the mission that let Wick leave his old life, as reported this week by GeekTyrant, Vital Thrills and Collider.
What the animated John Wick movie will cover
The film is a prequel. It will show how Wick completed the Impossible Task, the job that released him from his obligation to the High Table and earned him the chance to build a life with his wife, Helen, according to Vital Thrills.
Fans have heard about that mission across the franchise, but the live-action films never showed it. GeekTyrant points out that we know Wick survives and gets his freedom, yet nothing about what the task involved or what it cost him.
Collider adds a practical detail. Because the story sits before the original 2014 film, the studio doesn’t need to de-age Reeves with CG. It also says the film won’t explain how, or whether, Wick survived the end of John Wick: Chapter 4.
Who is making it
Tindle, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker whose credits include Ultraman: Rising and Kubo and the Two Strings, is directing. The screenplay is by Ryan Firpo and Kaz Firpo, and Collider lists their earlier work as Eternals.
The producers are the franchise’s established team: Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road, Chad Stahelski of 87Eleven Entertainment, and Reeves himself. Point Grey joins them on the animated feature, per Vital Thrills. Basil Iwanyk has been part of the series from the start, and Collider notes that Stahelski directed all four previous Wick films.
Collider describes the live-action series as having hit theatres in 2014 and lifted Reeves into the top ranks of action stars. It also notes his appearance in the spin-off Ballerina, where he faced the title character played by Ana de Armas.
Why animation could suit the story
GeekTyrant’s writer argues that animation gives the team room to push the franchise’s violence, choreography and look beyond what live action allows. That is the outlet’s opinion, not an announced plan, and the studio hasn’t said what style the film will take.
What is confirmed is the line-up. A director with two well-regarded animated credits, the original producers and the star’s voice add up to a project that keeps its ties to the films. Collider also reports that John Wick 5 is in the works with Reeves signed on, though details on that film are still under wraps.
What happens next
Lionsgate has not revealed a release date, and no cast beyond Reeves has been announced. Expect casting, a title and a timeline to follow as production gets under way.
Reeves has other franchise news in play. DC Studios has hired Francis Galluppi, director of Evil Dead Wrath, to write a John Constantine film, according to Deadline as relayed by SlashFilm and Empire. Both note that the report doesn’t say what it means for the long-discussed Reeves sequel to his 2005 Constantine. We covered that story in New Constantine Film Gets a Writer, Without Keanu Reeves, and everything else we publish on him sits under the Keanu Reeves tag. For more on how his action work has evolved, see How Keanu Reeves Reshaped Action Movies Three Times.
Frequently asked questions
Is Keanu Reeves in the animated John Wick movie?
Yes. Lionsgate has greenlit the film and Reeves has signed to reprise the role of John Wick, according to GeekTyrant, Vital Thrills and Collider. He is also a producer.
What is the animated John Wick movie about?
It is a prequel that follows Wick as he completes the Impossible Task, which frees him from his obligation to the High Table before the events of the first film.
Who is directing it?
Shannon Tindle, whose credits include Ultraman: Rising and Kubo and the Two Strings, directs from a screenplay by Ryan and Kaz Firpo.
When is the release date?
There isn’t one yet. Lionsgate hasn’t announced a date.
