Keanu Reeves to Return as John Wick in Animated Prequel Movie About His Impossible Task
A prequel about Wick’s past
The animated film will explore John Wick’s life before he retired from the assassin world. Its central story is the Impossible Task, the feat that enabled him to leave the criminal underworld and be with Helen.
The project is not intended to explain Wick’s apparent fate at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4. Instead, it goes back to the period before the first film, when Wick was still an assassin.
Reeves returns to the role
Lionsgate has greenlit the movie, with Reeves returning as the voice of the iconic assassin. The story’s animated format means the production will not need to use computer-generated de-aging for Reeves.
The original John Wick arrived in theaters in 2014 and starred Reeves as a retired assassin drawn back into violence after his dog was killed. The character later appeared in sequels and the spin-off Ballerina, which features Ana de Armas.
Creative team named
Shannon Tindle, whose credits include Ultraman: Rising, is set to direct. Ryan and Kaz Firpo, who worked on Eternals, are writing the screenplay. Reeves and Stahelski will executive produce. Stahelski directed all four previous John Wick films, and Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee are also executive producers.
Key points
- Keanu Reeves will return as John Wick in a Lionsgate animated prequel.
- The story centers on the Impossible Task and Wick’s life before retirement.
- Shannon Tindle will direct from a screenplay by Ryan and Kaz Firpo.
- Reeves, Chad Stahelski, Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will executive produce.