He may have seemingly meeting his maker on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur in John Wick: Chapter 4, but Keanu Reeves’ mythic hitman John Wick really hasn’t struggled to make his presence known since. He’s popped up in John Wick: Chapter 3 midquel Ballerina, is set to return in John Wick 5 sometime soon, and — as we first heard about when Chapter 5 was announced — he even has an animated prequel movie in the pipeline. And now Deadline is reporting that animated outing has officially been greenlit at Lionsgate, with Keanu Reeves back as Baba Yaga and Ultraman: Rising director Shannon Tindle at the helm.
Penned by Eternals co-writers Ryan & Kaz Firpo, Tindle’s as-yet-untiled Wickiverse prequel — which joins Donnie Yen’s hotly anticipated Caine spin-off in the currently undated JWCU slate — will turn back the clocks to well before the events of the original John Wick, delving into how Wick completed the Impossible Task — aka, offing all his enemies in a single night in order to leave The High Table and earn the ability to freely be with his beloved wife, Helen. Thankfully, we already know that all worked out wonderfully for everybody’s favourite family (hit)man, and that John, Helen, and their adorbs little beagle Daisy went on to live happily ever after. Lovely stuff!
“In both animation and the world of John Wick, the possibilities are endless,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson when this project was first touted at CinemaCon last year. “There is no John Wick story fans are clamouring for more than the Impossible Task. Shannon’s take on that story is an incredible one, and we are beyond excited to see what John Wick can do in animation.” You and us both, Adam Fogelson. You and us both!
