Lionsgate is developing John Wick: Chapter 5 with Keanu Reeves, Thunder Road, and franchise director Chad Stahelski as it unveiled ambitious plans for its John Wick Universe at CinemaCon on Tuesday that include an anime feature and another spin-off.
The upcoming tentpole follows the most successful entry in the series, John Wick: Chapter 4, which grossed more than $440m at the worldwide box office and maintained the franchise’s distinction of producing instalments that outperform their predecessors. The franchise as a whole has earned more than $1bn worldwide.
And as audiences await the June 6 release of Ballerina starring CinemaCon 2025 Action Star of the Year Ana de Armas, Lionsgate announced in Las Vegas another spin-off to be directed by and star Donnie Yen reprising his Caine character, which is scheduled to start production in Hong Kong this summer. Yen has starred in Flashpoint and the IP Man franchise, among others.
The logline remains under wraps, although the studio said the new film will continue Yen’s story arc following the events of John Wick: Chapter 4, free from his obligations to the High Table.
Franchise producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will produce through Thunder Road, alongside Chad Stahelski through his 87Eleven Entertainment. Mattson Tomlin, writer of the upcoming The Batman Part II and the adaptation of the Keanu Reeves-created comic book BRZRKR, has joined to write the project. The previous draft of the screenplay of the Yen film was written by Robert Askins.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson also announced at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace a prequel action anime featuring Wick. The stylised story aimed at more mature audiences will tell the story of Wick before the first film, as he completes the Impossible Task – the killing of all of his rivals in one night – in order to free himself from his obligation to the High Table and earn the right to be with the love of his life, Helen.
Reeves is expected to return to voice the title character in the film, which will be produced by the franchise producing team of Thunder Road’s Iwanyk and Lee, 87Eleven Entertainment’s Stahelski, and Reeves. 87Eleven Entertainment’s Alex Young and Jason Spitz are executive producers.
Animation veteran Shannon Tindle will direct, and most recently co-wrote and directed Netflix’s Annie-nominated feature Ultraman: Rising. Tindle also created the double Oscar nominee Kubo And The Two Strings. Vanessa Taylor will write the screenplay. She was writer and co-executive producer of Game Of Thrones and Divergent, and an Oscar nominee for her work with Guillermo del Toro on best picture winner The Shape Of Water.
Additionally, Lionsgate Television, which produced The Continental: From The World Of John Wick for Peacock and Amazon Prime, is developing John Wick: Under The High Table, on which Stahelski and Keanu Reeves serve as executive producers.
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