Baba Yaga lives as Lionsgate confirms John Wick 5, an animated prequel, and the Donnie Yen-directed Caine spinoff

Lionsgate is going hard with its John Wick franchise at CinemaCon 2025 by announcing several projects, including John Wick 5, an animated prequel, and a confirmation for the Donnie Yen-directed spinoff featuring his blind assassin character, Caine. Before you ask, yes, Keanu Reeves returns for John Wick 5, with Chad Stahelski directing and producing alongside Thunder Road producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee.

Donnie Yen spoke to Collider‘s Steve Weintraub in January about possibly directing the Caine spinoff, saying, “I think both the fans, as well as the studio, want this to happen, and we’ll see,” Yen told Weintraub. “I don’t know, Steve. I can only tell you that much. But yes, we are talking, and we are talking intimately. We’ll see what happens.”

“But at the same time, I hold responsibility as well as a pressure that I don’t want to ruin the franchise,” Yen added. “I try to do my best to bring something fresh to the franchise itself. I don’t want to bring down the expectations for the fans. I try to do my best, like always.”

Yen has been getting behind the camera since 1994, when he was an uncredited director for High Voltage. He’s directed a handful of films since then, including 2023’s Sakra and 2024’s The Prosecutor, an action-oriented legal drama about a poor young man wrongly charged with drug trafficking after being deceived. An ex-prosecutor investigates the case, uncovers a corrupt lawyer team’s scheme, and restores justice despite obstruction from evil forces.

Keanu Reeves will voice John Wick for the animated project, which Shannon Tindle, co-director of Ultraman: Rising, will direct from a screenplay by Vanessa Taylor. The movie tells the story of John Wick before the events of the first film as he completes the Impossible Task, namely the killing of all his rivals in one night. Wick must defeat his enemies to escape the High Table’s wrath and earn the right to retire with his wife, Helen.

“In both animation and the world of John Wick, the possibilities are endless,” said Lionsgate chair Adam Fogelson. “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.”

Chad Stahelski said, “I’ve always been fascinated with anime. It has always been a huge influence on me, especially with the John Wick series. To have the opportunity to develop a John Wick anime seems to be the perfect progression for the John Wick world. I feel John Wick is the perfect property for this medium — anime holds the potential to expand our world, our characters, and our action in ways unimaginable before.”

Are you excited about John Wick 5, the animated prequel, and Donnie Yen’s Caine spinoff? Let us know in the comments section below!

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