John Wick series director Chad Stahelski has revealed he is working on a John Wick anime movie that will explore Keanu Reeves' character’s past as a professional killer.
The action filmmaker opened up about plans for the anime prequel during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. He says he and the rest of the team is “knee-deep in development on a feature anime” centered on the series’ titular character. It’ll be a prequel to the John Wick movies fans know and love, but it’s unclear exactly when it will take place.
Just as the upcoming John Wick TV series Under the High Table opens up new storytelling opportunities, Stahelski explains that an anime gives them more room to have fun in the John Wick universe.
“We can be a little bit more crazy and nutty in the anime, and we can be a lot more explicit in our storytelling and world building on the TV show,” he said. “So those are exciting to us without seeming repetitive, and that’s where we’re putting our energies right now.”
A John Wick anime was announced last year, but many had guessed the project would explore that world in the form of an animated show. Today’s news suggests that the team has more ambitious plans for the story they will tell. Although many details are being kept under wraps, when asked if the animated movie might tackle the “impossible task” that originally allowed John Wick to retire, the director teased some of what its story might cover.
“Ish. You’re pretty right on, but it’s animated fun,” Stahelski said. “It’s meant to be fun. Some of the prequels and sequels that you see in other franchises, we’re not meant to be built that way. We just want to have fun. We want to have fun with the Wick world, but we’ve already capped it on one end [with John Wick: Chapter 4], so let’s go back and use a different medium.”
John Wick’s last time leading a film was 2023’s John Wick: Chapter 4, but fans of the high-octane series don’t necessarily need Reeves’ face to see more stories from that universe. Earlier this year, Peacock premiered The Continental, a prequel show that explored Winston Scott’s life in the ‘70s. In early 2025, audiences will also be treated to a new spinoff feature film titled From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. Although the pic will feature Ana de Armas as its lead, we can at least expect to see an appearance from Reeves as Baba Yaga himself. Another spinoff focused on Donnie Yen’s Caine is also in the works.
John Wick 5, meanwhile, has been officially announced. While Stahelski teases in today’s interview that he’s come up with “three or four” different versions of a narrative for a fifth film in the last three years, it’s unclear when the film will arrive or how it will continue the story following the brutal ending fans saw in John Wick 4. For more from one of the biggest action franchises of the last decade, you can read our 10/10 John Wick 4 review.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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