Lionsgate greenlights animated John Wick prequel with Keanu Reeves
The film will explore the assassin’s Impossible Task before the first movie, with Reeves returning to voice the role and Shannon Tindle directing.
Lionsgate has greenlit an animated John Wick prequel starring Keanu Reeves, who has made a deal to reprise the assassin, Deadline reported on November 5. The film is in preproduction, according to Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer’s comments after the company’s quarterly earnings, as reported by Deadline.
The animated film revisits John Wick’s Impossible Task
The story is set before the first John Wick film and follows Wick completing the Impossible Task. That undertaking frees him from his obligation to the High Table and gives him the right to be with Helen, according to Deadline. TheWrap also described the project as a prequel about the task that released Wick from his gangland overlords. The premise takes the franchise back to the period before Wick left the assassin life and retired, Collider reported.
Shannon Tindle will direct, with Ryan and Kaz Firpo writing the film. Tindle directed and co-wrote Netflix’s animated film Ultraman: Rising, which TheWrap said won three Emmy Awards; he also created and co-wrote the Emmy-winning series Lost Ollie. The Firpo brothers wrote Marvel’s Eternals, TheWrap reported.
Who is making the John Wick prequel
The production team includes Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road, Chad Stahelski of 87Eleven Entertainment, Reeves and Point Grey. Deadline and TheWrap reported that the producers include the team behind the John Wick films, with Point Grey joining the project. Reeves is also a producer, TheWrap reported.
The animated film is one of several extensions of the franchise. TheWrap reported that the spin-off Ballerina was released in 2025 and featured Reeves in an extended cameo. A film based on Donnie Yen’s John Wick: Chapter 4 character Caine was shot from April to July 2026, with Yen directing and Rina Sawayama returning as Akira. TheWrap also reported plans for a television series tentatively titled John Wick: Under the High Table, a joint venture involving Lionsgate Television, 87Eleven Entertainment and Thunder Road.
The prequel focuses on events before the first film, while Wick appears to die at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, Collider reported. Lionsgate has not announced a release date for the animated film.
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Sources and context
- Lionsgate Animated John Wick Film With Keanu Reaves Officially A GoDeadline
- ‘John Wick’ Animated Prequel Film Officially in the Works at Lionsgate, Keanu Reeves ReturningTheWrap
- Keanu Reeves Officially Returns for New John Wick PrequelCollider
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.