Keanu Reeves has officially closed a deal to return as John Wick in Lionsgate’s animated prequel movie. The hitman is swapping live action for animation, and the paperwork is already signed. The story rewinds to the start of his legend, and it involves a very long to-do list and a very short deadline. Love is also involved, which in this franchise is usually how the trouble starts for everyone nearby.

While most prequels show how a hero began, this one shows how he tried to leave, at a steep price.

Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick for the Impossible Task

Keanu Reeves is coming back for the Impossible Task, the mission that rewrote John Wick’s life, according to Variety. The assignment was to take out all of his rivals in one night. Success freed him from his obligation to the High Table. It also earned him the right to be with the love of his life, Helen. When Lionsgate first announced the animated prequel in 2025, motion picture chair Adam Fogelson said the possibilities were endless for both animation and the franchise.

Variety reports that Shannon Tindle, the animation veteran behind Ultraman: Rising and Kubo and the Two Strings, will direct from a script by Ryan and Kaz Firpo. Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Chad Stahelski produce alongside Reeves, with Point Grey joining the team. The franchise has earned more than $1 billion worldwide across five movies, including From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. A fifth live-action John Wick and a Caine spinoff built around Donnie Yen are in development.

As one Keanu Reeves project rewinds to John Wick’s past, another sends him straight into a hurricane with a badge.

Keanu Reeves replaces Alan Ritchson in the Netflix action thriller Maelstrom

Netflix has locked Keanu Reeves to lead Maelstrom, replacing Reacher star Alan Ritchson, according to PageSix. Ritchson was announced for the role earlier this year, so the swap arrives with the paint still drying. Jaume Collet-Serra directs a story that throws a Federal Marshal into a fight for survival alongside an arms dealer’s fiancée in witness protection. A violent hurricane batters their location while waves of armed mercenaries close in.

The project began as a spec script bought in 1993 under executive Jeff Robinov, who now returns as a producer. It spent more than thirty years in development. Writer Mark Bianculli, of How to Rob a Bank, is refreshing the screenplay begun by the late Gregory Fitzpatrick. Casting the female lead is the next milestone before cameras roll. Reeves has a hurricane to survive and an Impossible Task to finish.

What are your thoughts on Keanu Reeves returning for John Wick’s Impossible Task? Let us know in the comments.