Keanu Reeves is officially returning as John Wick, but the next chapter of the assassin’s story will take a different form. Lionsgate has greenlit an untitled animated prequel, with Reeves closing a deal to reprise his signature role in a feature that will explore one of the most significant events in the character’s past: the Impossible Task.
Set before the events of the 2014 film, the story will follow John Wick during the period when he was still one of the most feared assassins in the criminal underworld. After falling in love with Helen, John wanted to leave his violent profession behind and build a future with her. However, walking away from the High Table, the powerful organisation that governs the underworld, required him to fulfil one final condition. He had to complete a mission known as the Impossible Task, killing all his rivals in a single night. Completing the assignment would free him from his obligations to the organisation and allow him to begin a new life with Helen.
The Impossible Task has remained an important part of the John Wick franchise’s mythology since the original film, but audiences have so far only heard it discussed. The animated prequel will finally bring that chapter to the screen, showing the events that led John towards the quieter life first glimpsed in the 2014 film. By that point, he has left his former profession behind and is living with Helen. Her subsequent death from an illness, and the puppy Daisy she leaves him, become central to the events that eventually draw him back into the criminal world.
Shannon Tindle will direct the animated feature, working from a screenplay by Ryan and Kaz Firpo. Tindle is best known for directing Netflix’s animated film Ultraman: Rising and for his work on Kubo and the Two Strings. The Firpo brothers previously co-wrote Marvel’s Eternals. Their involvement brings a new writing team to the prequel, while several key creative figures from the live-action films will remain involved behind the scenes.
Reeves will also produce the film, joining Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road and Chad Stahelski of 87Eleven Entertainment. Stahelski directed the first four live-action John Wick films and has been closely involved in shaping the franchise’s action and visual identity. Production company Point Grey is also joining the team, with Nathan Kahane serving as an executive producer.
Lionsgate first announced plans for the animated project at CinemaCon in April 2025. At the time, Adam Fogelson, chair of the studio’s motion picture group, identified the Impossible Task as the story fans were particularly eager to see explored. He also highlighted the possibilities of bringing the John Wick universe into animation and praised Tindle’s approach to the material. The latest announcement confirms that the project has progressed, with Reeves now officially attached to return as the voice of the central character.
The animated prequel is part of Lionsgate’s wider effort to expand the franchise beyond its main live-action storyline. The series has earned more than $1 billion worldwide across five films, including the Ana de Armas-led spin-off Ballerina, which was released in 2025. A standalone film centred on Caine, the blind assassin played by Donnie Yen in John Wick: Chapter 4, is also in the works. Yen is directing the project, which was filmed between April and July 2026. Rina Sawayama is also returning as Shimazu Akira, her character from John Wick: Chapter 4.
A fifth live-action John Wick film is also in development, despite the character’s apparent death at the end of Chapter 4. Director Chad Stahelski has said that he and writer Mike Finch are working on a story for the next instalment, which they intend to develop further with Reeves.
With the Impossible Task moving from an often-discussed piece of backstory to the centre of a feature, the animated prequel will offer audiences a closer look at the decision that changed John Wick’s life. The project will explore the mission that allowed him to leave the criminal underworld, while adding another chapter to the history of one of the action genre’s most recognisable characters. Lionsgate has not yet announced a confirmed release date or revealed any additional members of the voice cast.
