John Wick Exec unpacks Keanu Reeves’ work on the anime

You’d think John Wick died after the action-packed events of John Wick: Chapter 4 but that doesn’t stop Lionsgate and the creators from returning to the world of assassins. Franchise co-creator Chad Stahelski recently celebrated John’s 10th birthday while releasing some big news about future projects in the universe. In addition to confirming that there was a TV series and a series of spin-off films, Stahelski also confirmed that Mr. Wick was making the leap into the world of anime. While there are many questions surrounding the John Wick anime film, the co-creator of the franchise broke down Reeves himself’s involvement in the project.

For those who may not have heard the news about the John Wick anime, the film seeks to explore a moment in John’s life that was discussed in all four films but never revealed. In order to live in a more mundane way with his wife, John took on an “impossible task” that would give him a chance to leave his murderous duties behind. The upcoming anime film seeks to explore this task, exploring how John was able to pull it off and earn a quieter life for himself for a short period of time.

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Keanu Reeves Anime Arrival

Chad Stahelski recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to celebrate the 10th anniversary of John Wick, and stated how Reeves remains involved in the future of the franchise: “So we all decided, ‘Okay, well, let’s pass as a stop door.” We have three new things coming up: an anime feature, a TV show, a new spin-off (Donnie Yen’s Caine). So Keanu and I are still very active in all of that, and we don’t we wanted to get so big that we lose sight of what it really does John Wick, John Wick. So whether it’s the pinball machine or the anime feature film or the new TV show we’re working on, at least it’s still coming our way. Every time I have something on my desk, the first person I call is Keanu.

Stahelski also noted during the interview how there are many cooks in the kitchen, as all the creators involved are looking to direct the John Wick franchise in the right direction: “It’s a way to protect ourselves. To be completely cocky for a second, we haven’t just worked for the last ten years to see it all go to shit.”

Keanu Reeves Other anime

The anime adventure of Mr. Wick isn’t the only place you’ll see Keanu Reeves hit the anime scene. Netflix confirmed earlier this year that they would be adapting the Reeves comic. BRZRKERin an anime adaptation. Fortunately, the upcoming anime project has a major studio backing it in Production IG, which this year alone has been responsible for how Kaiju no. 8, Haikyu: The Dumpster Battlei Terminator Zero. While the original series might have plenty of carnage to match John Wick’s story, BRZRKER it is very different from the story of the killer seeking revenge.

In terms of John Wick’s In the live-action future, it remains to be seen if Keanu Reeves will rise from the dead for the already confirmed Chapter 5. During the THR interview, Stahelski talked about the upcoming sequel while confirming that they would honor the ending from Chapter 4, “The Honest Truth Is Not You” (above John Wick: Chapter 4). It just doesn’t. What we did is second to none. This is the end. Here’s the deal. That’s why we found closure. Look, sometimes we’ll keep things in development. Sometimes we will use the development as an exercise, but there is some opportunity to do (John Wick 5)? Of course there are, either for money or for creativity,”

Finally, the John Wick The co-creator explained how they can push new boundaries when it comes to the upcoming anime feature thanks to the medium’s strengths: “To keep producing episodes of John Wick’s adventures feels a little fake to us, but exploring different aspects of the world and different aspects of John Wick before the movies and through a different medium, be it anime or television, that feels fun.We can be a little crazier and crazier in anime, and we can be a lot more explicit in our storytelling and world-building on the TV show. So they’re exciting for us without seeming repetitive, and that’s where we’re putting our energies right now.”

You want to see what the future holds John Wick’s anime? Follow along with Team Anime at ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Keanu Reeves’ anime adventures, and hit me up directly @EVComedy to discuss comics and anime.