Lionsgate has officially greenlit an animated John Wick prequel film, with Keanu Reeves closing his deal to return as the title character, according to reporting from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter published the week of November 5, 2026. The project had first surfaced as a possibility at CinemaCon in April 2025; this week's reports confirm it has moved from in-development chatter to an active production with Reeves attached.
Shannon Tindle is directing. Tindle previously directed and co-wrote Netflix's "Ultraman: Rising" and co-wrote Laika's "Kubo and the Two Strings," giving him an animation résumé built on stylized action rather than straight comedy fare. Ryan and Kaz Firpo wrote the script.
Who's Producing
The film keeps most of the live-action franchise's core team involved behind the camera. Thunder Road's Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, who produced all four mainline John Wick films, are producing alongside 87Eleven Entertainment's Chad Stahelski, the franchise's director, and Reeves himself. Point Grey Productions, the company co-founded by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is also attached as a producer.
No animation studio has been named publicly, and no release date has been set. Reports describe the project as still in the writing and early-development stage, so a theatrical window is unlikely to be confirmed soon.
The Story: the "Impossible Task"
The film is a prequel set before 2014's "John Wick." It's built around what the franchise's mythology calls the Impossible Task: Wick killing every one of his rivals in a single night to buy his way out of his obligation to the High Table and earn the right to leave that world behind with Helen, the woman who later becomes his late wife in the first film. Beyond that premise, no other plot details, supporting characters, or additional cast members have been confirmed.
A First for Reeves, Not for the Franchise
This marks the first time Reeves himself will voice John Wick in any format outside the live-action films. The character already exists outside the movies: Bithell Games released "John Wick Hex," a tactical strategy game, in 2019, with Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprising their film roles and Troy Baker voicing the antagonist, Hex. Wick himself was largely silent in that game and wasn't voiced by Reeves.
Stahelski has described the animated format as a natural extension of the series rather than a side project, saying the medium "holds the potential to expand our world, our characters, and our action in ways unimaginable before." Some outlets covering the news have used the word "anime" to describe the visual approach, though Lionsgate hasn't confirmed a specific animation style or studio partner.
Why It Matters
The four John Wick films grossed more than $1 billion combined worldwide between 2014 and 2023, and Lionsgate has kept expanding the property since: the live-action spinoff "Ballerina," starring Ana de Armas, opened in 2025, and "The Continental" ran as a Peacock limited series in 2023. An animated feature, with Reeves and Stahelski both still attached, signals the studio sees more room to grow the franchise beyond sequels.
For now, what's confirmed is the greenlight, the director, the writers, the producing team, and the Impossible Task premise. Everything else — release date, full cast, animation studio, and runtime — remains unannounced. Gamingonix will update this story as Lionsgate shares more.
Emma covers gaming news and industry announcements for Gamingonix, reporting on releases, reveals and the stories moving fast.
