Keanu Reeves is officially returning as legendary hitman John Wick in a brand new project. Although the character died at the end of Chapter 4, a fifth film was confirmed last year. This, however, is not that film.
During the PlayStation livestream State of Play last night, the trailer for a big-budget and currently untitled John Wick was shown. The character’s face was hidden for most of the trailer, focusing on the third-person gameplay and implementation of the series’ famous ‘gun-fu’ combat, but fans saw at the end that Reeves was indeed lending his likeness.
It’s since been revealed that the actor will also be voicing the character, and is involved in the game’s production, as is franchise director Chad Stahelski.
Plot-wise, this game will be set years before the Impossible Task and feature a mix of established and new characters.
It’s being developed by Saber Interactive, the company behind the World War Z game, the upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remaster, and a whole host of ports and remasters.
Saber Interactive
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“John Wick is one of the most iconic characters in action film history. Saber is honored to be working alongside Chad, Keanu and the Lionsgate team in a true collaboration to bring the world of Wick to life in a AAA game”, Saber Interactive’s CEO Matthew Karch said.
Lionsgate’s president of global products and experiences Jenefer Brown added: “I can’t wait for fans to step into the shoes of John Wick and explore the multi-dimensional world of The High Table.
“We are collaborating closely with Saber’s dedicated team to develop a game that captures the unparalleled action, brand-defining fight choreography, immersive world-building, and authenticity of the films.”
Lionsgate
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It’s not the first time the franchise has dipped its toes into the world of games, with crossovers with Payday 2, Fortnite, and Call of Duty, while there has also been a VR game and a tactical RPG.
Multiple future projects in the John Wick universe have been mentioned over the years, with the most concrete one being a film focused on the character Caine, with Donnie Yen directing in addition to starring.
Reeves won’t feature in that one, although the original script for Ballerina didn’t have him feature either, and he obviously did end up in the finished film.
The John Wick game will be released on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.