Chad Stahelski , the director behind the John Wick movies, has shared something surprising. If he had the chance, he would stop making live-action films and work in anime instead. That’s right—he loves anime so much that he’d leave Hollywood for it.
In a recent interview, Stahelski said he has always been a big anime fan. He even said, “If I could draw like Watanabe-san, I’d never leave my room. I would just sit and draw all day.” Watanabe is the famous anime creator behind legendary shows like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo—two series Stahelski says he knows by heart.
Stahelski has already worked on anime shows like Lazarus and Ninja Kamui by helping with their action scenes. He’s also producing an upcoming John Wick animated prequel movie. His goal now? To do even more anime work in the future.
Chad Stahelski thinks anime has no limits
Stahelski says anime allows creators to do things that live-action films can’t. In real life, a punch might send someone a few feet away. But in anime, they can fly across a whole street. That’s what he finds exciting.
He explained how his team helped create scenes for Lazarus. They filmed real-life action and sent it to the anime team in Japan. The animators then added their own magic to make it even more exciting. Stahelski said he loves how anime gives you total freedom—no camera limits, no real-world rules. You can make anything happen.
Chad Stahelski is producing a John Wick animated movie
Lionsgate has announced a new John Wick animated movie. It will tell the story of how John Wick first left the High Table. This movie will be for adult viewers and Keanu Reeves will return to voice the character.
Stahelski is producing this film and says it's just the beginning. He wants to do more work in anime. “If I could get away with it, I’d work in anime full-time,” he said. He hopes more studios will call him soon.