The actor-director is promising to make it the “most definitive martial-arts action film ever made.”

John Wick lives on: Despite Ballerina box office misfire, Donnie Yen’s Caine spinoff is locked and loaded

The actor-director is promising to make it the "most definitive martial-arts action film ever made."

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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March 24, 2026 8:29 p.m. ET

Keanu Reeves and Donnie Yen in 'John Wick: Chapter 4'. Credit:

Murray Close / Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett

Disappointing box office results can't kill the expansion of the John Wick universe.

After being announced almost two years ago, the *John Wick* spinoff centered on Donnie Yen's Caine, is officially set to start production next month, EW can confirm. (*Deadline *first reported the news.) The movement on the new installment comes following the 2025 release of the ill-fated* Ballerina*.

Not only will the Hong Kong film legend return as the blind assassin introduced in *John Wick: Chapter 4*, Yen has also been tapped to direct, and he's aiming to deliver "the most definitive martial arts-infused action film ever made."

"What drew me to Caine is the contradiction. He carries love, responsibility, and sacrifice in a world built on consequence. That creates a very different kind of action hero," Yen said in a statement. "This film is an opportunity to push the genre forward. My goal is to create the most definitive martial arts-infused action film ever made, one that honors what audiences love about *John Wick *while bringing a new emotional depth and visual language to the story. As both director and actor, I’m excited to shape this chapter in a way that reflects everything I've learned over decades in action cinema, while building something that feels entirely new.”

Introduced in 2023's *John Wick 4*, Caine is an old friend of John Wick (Keanu Reeves) who is forced out of retirement and ordered to kill Wick, or Caine's daughter will be murdered. In the end, Caine teams up with Wick to defeat rival assassins, and he then returns to Paris to reunite with his daughter, having been freed of the threat against them. But he's soon approached by a knife-wielding Akira (Rina Sawayama), who is looking to avenge the death of her own father at the hands of Caine. Sawayama is confirmed to join Yen in the Caine spinoff.

"He's obviously a legend in action movies and he's such a fantastic actor and artist," Reeves previously told EW of bringing Yen into the *Wick* world. "I really appreciated how he created the character of Caine and connected it to how he did action. It was almost character first, and then the action was an expression of character."

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With Wick seemingly dying at the conclusion of *Wick 4*, the team behind the franchise has looked for ways to expand, beginning with the 2023 prequel limited series *The Continental*, which seemed to quickly come and go, and then with last year's *Ballerina*. *Wick* director Chad Stahelski reportedly needed to get involved with the Ana de Armas-led film and lead major reshoots, including expanding the role of Wick. And still, *Ballerina* ended up making $300 million less than *Wick 4*.

Time will tell how Caine's mission will fare, but Reeves and Stahelski are already on the way to save the day, with Wick rising from the grave for a fifth installment.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Movies”