Lionsgate announced yesterday, April 1st, 2025, that John Wick will return for a 5th movie. The movie is still in development. Not much has been revealed yet, but we know that Reeves will appear in the upcoming spinoff “Ballerina,” which will be in theaters June 6th and stars Ana de Armas. This is an interesting development with regards to John Wick 5.
What we know about John Wick 5
We all believed John Wick was done after the events of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” but it turns out, there’s at least one more movie left in this franchise starring Keanu Reeves, and it turns out, that John Wick 5 wasn’t the only thing Lionsgate announced at CinemaCon. There are also plans for an animated “John Wick” prequel currently in the works.
The prequel will be set before the events of the first movie, released way back in 2014, telling the story of Wick’s Impossible Task – the killing of all of his rivals in just one night to be with the love of his life, Helen, and break free from the High Table, adequately titled “John Wick: Under the High Table.” Lionsgate has said that this animated TV series is targeted at more mature audiences, which is not a surprise, given what we know of the plot.
Shannon Tindle, who is an animation veteran and, most recently, co-wrote and directed Netflix’s “Ultraman: Rising,” will be directing the prequel, while Vanessa Taylor, a writer and producer known for “Divergent,” Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” and even “Game of Thrones,” will be penning the screenplay.
“In both animation and the world of ‘John Wick,’ the possibilities are endless. And there is no ‘John Wick’ story fans are clamoring for more than the ‘Impossible Task.’ Shannon’s take on that story is an incredible one, and we are beyond excited to see what John Wick can do in animation,” Fogelson said.
In addition to John Wick 5 and the prequel, yet another spin-off was announced, “Caine,” with Donnie Yen as the director and reprising his role as the blind assassin who had helped Wick get free from the High Table in the previous film.
“One of my favorite characters in the ‘John Wick’ world is Caine. To have the chance to dive into his world and discover all his adventures excites us all,” Stahleski said. “And who better to helm it than Donnie Yen himself? His understanding of the culture, the world, and of course, the action, make him the perfect director for this project.” Stahleski described the film as a “modern-day kung-fu classic that explores the ‘John Wick’ world.”
“Keanu, Chad, Basil, and Erica would not return unless they had something truly phenomenal and fresh to say with these characters and this world,” Adam Fogelson, the chair of the studio’s Motion Picture Group, said. “We can’t wait for audiences to see where the journey takes us next.”
“It’s so important to get this story right and give John’s story the proper next step. It’s exciting to take the first step on that road.” Erica Lee and Basil Iwanyk added in a joint statement.
The news of John Wick 5 might serve as a shock for some, with “John Wick: Chapter 4” ending with the lead supposedly dead after his duel with Bill Skarsgård’s character, Marquis de Gramont, with a shot of Wick’s dog looking back at his grave.
Chad Stahelski has said that the scene in question was deliberate and that there had been an alternate ending showing John Wick alive. Stahelski told Empire in 2023 that the audiences had preferred this more ambiguous ending to the shot of John Wick still alive, giving us the anticipation needed to see John Wick 5 as soon as possible.
De Armas, having performed extensive physical feats in the 2021 “James Bond” sequel, “No Time to Die,” has said that her training for the John Wick spinoff “Ballerina” was nothing like her previous training. She spent four months with a stunt team, working out in the gym, and visiting a shooting range with some very real weapons.
