Last year, Keanu Reeves’ hitman went six feet under at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4.

However, we never actually saw him kick the bucket or a body – and what with John Wick 5 in development, we’d expect the Baba Yaga to resurrect at some point.

As fans await Reeves’ return in next year’s spin-off Ballerina (set between John Wick 3 and 4), there is some news about the franchise’s future as the original movie hits its 10th anniversary.

First, Chad Stahelski, the director of all four blockbusters, has announced a prequel movie set before the first film.

The film will be anime and he teased that it will focus on the impossible task that allowed the hitman to retire for married life when asked.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Chad said: “You’re pretty right on, but it’s animated fun. It’s meant to be fun. Some of the prequels and sequels that you see in other franchises, we’re not meant to be built that way. We just want to have fun. We want to have fun with the Wick world, but we’ve already capped it on one end [with John Wick: Chapter 4], so let’s go back and use a different medium.”

The director also cryptically addressed John Wick 5: “The honest truth is you don’t [top John Wick: Chapter 4]. You simply don’t. There’s no topping what we did. That’s the end. That’s the deal. That’s what we found closure for. Look, sometimes, we’ll keep things in development. Sometimes, we’ll use development as an exercise, but is there an opportunity to do [John Wick 5]? Of course, there is, whether it’s for money or for creativity. Jesus, in the last three years, I’ve already had three or four versions of a John Wick 5. They were different ways to crack the story, but it’s almost a mental exercise for me.” 

More mysteriously, Chad added: “It would not be part of that [John Wick: Chapter 4] storyline. It would not be what you would think it is. As far as [John Wick: Chapter 4], we’ve peaked. At least, I have. That’s my apex. We ended it. It’s a complete story. I watch it now, and I feel very happy about it, but we wouldn’t try to outdo it. We wouldn’t try to add on to that. It’d have to be a completely different storyline.”