John Wick Animated Prequel Officially Greenlit With Keanu Reeves Returning
Lionsgate has officially greenlit an animated John Wick prequel, with Keanu Reeves returning. Shannon Tindle directs from a script by Ryan and Kaz Firpo.
John Wick is heading back to the years before the first film, this time in animated form. Lionsgate confirmed on its latest earnings call, on Thursday 5 November, that its untitled animated John Wick prequel has been officially greenlit, with Keanu Reeves returning to the role he first played in 2014. The film is now in pre-production.
The project was first revealed at CinemaCon in April 2025, when Lionsgate said it was developing an animated prequel alongside a fifth live-action film. This week the studio has committed to making it, and the creative team is now in place.
Shannon Tindle is directing, having previously co-written and directed the 2024 Netflix animated feature Ultraman: Rising. The screenplay comes from Ryan and Kaz Firpo, who wrote Marvel's Eternals. Reeves is producing as well as starring, alongside Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and franchise director Chad Stahelski.
The story goes back to the Impossible Task, the job referred to throughout the live-action films but never shown on screen. It was the seemingly unachievable feat John completed to earn his way out of the criminal underworld run by the High Table, so that he could build a quiet life with his wife, Helen.
After four films of hints, it is the most natural place for a prequel to begin, and it gives the franchise a chance to show the younger John that the films have so far only described.
Several details are still to be announced. Lionsgate has not given the film a title, a release date or even a release window, and no animation studio has been named. Beyond Reeves, no other cast has been confirmed, so it is not yet known whether characters from the live-action films, Helen among them, will appear.
The prequel joins a busy slate for the franchise. Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, arrived in 2025 with Reeves appearing as John, while Caine, a spin-off directed by and starring Donnie Yen, finished filming this summer.
For now, the greenlight is the clearest sign yet that Lionsgate sees plenty of life left in its most famous hitman.
Casting news and a first look should follow as the film moves through production, and the first trailer will show how John Wick's brutal brand of action translates into animation.
Image disclaimer: AI-generated illustrations for editorial purposes only. These are not official images or representations of the upcoming John Wick animated film.
