Lionsgate has formally greenlit its animated John Wick prequel, with Keanu Reeves set to return as the voice of the franchise’s legendary assassin. The studio confirmed the latest step in the project on Nov. 5, 2026, as it discussed its fiscal second-quarter results with investors.
The untitled film will take audiences back to one of the most important events in John Wick’s history: the “Impossible Task” that allowed him to leave the criminal world behind. The assignment has been referenced throughout the live-action films, but the franchise has never shown exactly how Wick completed it.
According to Lionsgate, the story will follow Wick as he carries out the mission that frees him from his obligations to the High Table. Completing the task gives him the chance to leave his life as an assassin and build a future with Helen, the woman who later becomes his wife.
The animated project had been announced previously at CinemaCon in April 2025, when Lionsgate said Shannon Tindle would direct and Reeves was expected to return. The new announcement moves the film forward with an official greenlight and confirms Reeves has signed on.
Tindle is best known for directing and co-writing Netflix’s 2024 animated feature Ultraman: Rising. His earlier work includes creating Lost Ollie and developing the original story for Kubo and the Two Strings, giving the filmmaker experience with both stylized animation and character-focused storytelling.
Ryan and Kaz Firpo are writing the latest version of the screenplay. The pair previously worked on Marvel Studios’ Eternals, while Vanessa Taylor had been attached as the writer when Lionsgate first announced the animated John Wick project in 2025.
The film will be produced by Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road, Chad Stahelski of 87Eleven Entertainment and Reeves. Point Grey, the production company associated with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, has also joined the producing team.
Animation gives the filmmakers room to expand the franchise’s elaborate action without the same physical limits as live-action filmmaking. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said when the project was first announced that the medium offered nearly unlimited possibilities for both the action and the wider John Wick world.
The choice of the Impossible Task also fills in a major gap in the character’s history. In the first John Wick film, crime boss Viggo Tarasov explains that Wick once completed an extraordinary assignment so he could leave the assassin life behind. The consequences of that mission helped build the criminal empire seen in the films.
Although the exact details have remained mostly offscreen, the task has become an important piece of franchise lore. The animated prequel will give the filmmakers a chance to show Wick before the personal losses and events that pull him back into violence in the 2014 original.
Reeves has played John Wick since that first film and has remained closely involved as the series expanded. He also appeared in the 2025 spinoff From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, and he is serving as a producer on the animated prequel.
The franchise has grown far beyond the original four John Wick films. Lionsgate says the property has generated more than $1 billion at the global box office, and the studio continues to develop new projects around characters and organizations introduced in the series.
One of those projects is a feature centered on Caine, the blind assassin played by Donnie Yen in John Wick: Chapter 4. Lionsgate announced the project in 2024, and more recent reporting says filming took place in 2026 with Yen directing and returning in the lead role.
A separate television project, John Wick: Under the High Table, also remains part of Lionsgate’s expansion plans. The series was announced as a continuation of the world after John Wick: Chapter 4, with Robert Levine attached as writer and showrunner and Stahelski expected to direct the pilot.
Lionsgate has also listed a fifth main John Wick film as being in development. That project is separate from the animated prequel and the Caine spinoff, giving the studio several possible routes for continuing the franchise.
The animated film is especially significant because it focuses on a story that happened before the original movie rather than extending events after Chapter 4. That gives Lionsgate a way to bring Reeves back as Wick while exploring a period of the character’s life that has previously existed mostly through dialogue and references.
No release date has been announced. TheWrap reported that the film is now officially moving forward, while Animation World Network said Reeves is signed to voice Wick and that the project is being scripted by the Firpo brothers.
The film is expected to remain aimed at mature audiences, consistent with the violent action that defines the live-action series. When the project was introduced in 2025, Lionsgate described plans for highly stylized action suited to the John Wick world rather than a softer version designed primarily for children.
For now, the biggest confirmed change is that the long-discussed animated prequel has advanced from development to a formal greenlight. With Reeves returning and the Impossible Task at the center of the story, Lionsgate is preparing to show a part of John Wick’s past that the franchise has referenced for more than a decade.
It will be fascinating to see how the animated prequel develops the themes of loyalty, revenge, and survival. The film will be a chance to revisit the world that Reeves helped build and explore what came before. With its unique blend of action, animation, and storytelling, the prequel promises to deliver a fresh experience for both longtime fans and newcomers.
The upcoming animated film is set to be a major event in the John Wick franchise, with Reeves at the center of it all. The creative team behind this project is well aware of the legacy they are building upon and aims to honor it with a new vision. With animation as its core medium, the film will offer a unique way to tell John Wick's story and explore his early days.
This prequel is not just another spin-off but a chance to re-imagine the origins of one of cinema's most iconic characters. The film will be a visual journey into the world where John Wick learned his first lessons in survival and revenge. It will be an important part of the franchise's future, setting the stage for more stories to come.
The animated prequel is a bold and exciting new direction for the John Wick universe, one that fans will eagerly anticipate. With Reeves returning and a strong creative team behind it, this project is poised to be a standout in the franchise’s history.