Keanu Reeves will return for a John Wick animated prequel, giving Lionsgate a convenient way to revisit the assassin’s younger years without recasting him or asking the 62-year-old actor to throw himself down another staircase. The feature-length film will reveal how Wick completed the notorious “Impossible Task” before the events of the original 2014 movie.
Variety reports that Reeves has closed his deal to voice the character. Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer also told investors that the project has entered preproduction, although the studio has not announced a title, release date, additional cast or animation studio.
What will the animated film reveal?
The story will focus on an important piece of John Wick history that the live-action films have repeatedly mentioned but never shown. Before settling down with his wife, Helen, Wick wanted to leave the criminal world and escape his obligations to the High Table.
His exit came with a brutal condition. Wick had to eliminate his rivals in a single night, completing a mission considered impossible and earning the freedom to marry Helen. Anyone familiar with the franchise will understand that “retirement paperwork” works slightly differently in this particular workplace.
Lionsgate motion-picture chair Adam Fogelson first announced the project at CinemaCon in 2025. He described the Impossible Task as the story fans most wanted to see and said animation would remove many of the practical limits placed on the series’ action.
“In both animation and the world of John Wick, the possibilities are endless,” Fogelson said. “Shannon’s take on that story is an incredible one, and we are beyond excited to see what John Wick can do in animation.”
Who is making the John Wick prequel?
Shannon Tindle will direct the film from a screenplay by Ryan Firpo and Kaz Firpo. Tindle previously directed Netflix’s animated feature Ultraman: Rising.
Reeves will also produce alongside longtime franchise director Chad Stahelski, Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee. Production company Point Grey is involved as well.
Stahelski has described the project as an anime, reflecting the influence Japanese animation has had on his approach to the franchise. More recent trade reports have used the broader term “animated film,” and Lionsgate has not disclosed the final visual style.
“I’ve always been fascinated with anime,” Stahelski said when the project was announced. “It has always been a huge influence on me, especially with the John Wick series.”
He added that animation could expand the franchise’s characters, world and action in ways that would not be possible in live action. That is useful for a series built around elaborate gunfights, car impacts and Reeves enduring physical punishment with remarkable professional patience.
Why animation makes sense for Keanu Reeves
Reeves first played Wick in 2014 and has now appeared as the character across four main films and the 2025 spin-off From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, led by Ana de Armas.
The actor has performed demanding stunt work throughout the series. Previous productions have also involved serious on-set mishaps, including an actor suffering a head injury and another performer being struck by a car. An animated production should reduce the risk of similar incidents, unless the recording booth becomes unexpectedly hostile.
More importantly, the format allows Reeves to portray Wick before the first film without requiring a new actor. His voice can remain familiar while animators handle the minor issue of turning back the clock by several years.
The project also gives Lionsgate freedom to show the Impossible Task at the scale long suggested by the films. Live-action logistics, budgets and basic human durability will be less restrictive when every location, vehicle and unfortunate opponent can be created digitally.
How large has the John Wick franchise become?
The five theatrical releases, including Ballerina, have earned more than $1 billion worldwide, according to Variety. That commercial record has encouraged Lionsgate to expand the series well beyond the original story of a retired assassin seeking revenge after criminals kill his dog.
The studio’s current plans include:
- John Wick: Chapter 5, which remains in development
- A Caine spin-off directed by and starring Donnie Yen
- Further television projects set within the franchise
- A AAA video game being developed with Saber Interactive
- The animated Impossible Task prequel
Lionsgate has said the Caine film has completed production and received strong early responses at test screenings. Reeves’ exact involvement in the other projects has not been confirmed.
For now, his return is limited to the animated film, more than 12 years after he first put on Wick’s black suit. The format may be different, but the central arrangement remains intact: Reeves supplies the assassin, Lionsgate supplies an unreasonable number of enemies, and retirement continues to be denied on administrative grounds.
