Serving as Keanu Reeve’s stunt double at one point, Chad Stahelski found mainstream Hollywood success as director of Lionsgate’s John Wick franchise. The studio is so impressed with the filmmaker after four Wick films that it’s now agreed to a first-look deal with him. Announced Wednesday, Stahelski and his 87Eleven Entertainment now have a first-look deal that will give Lionsgate the first stab at any of Stahelski’s upcoming projects.
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“Chad and his team at 8711 Entertainment are profoundly talented filmmakers and creative collaborators. They raise the bar of excellence on every project they take on, and we are looking to Chad to bring us the best new original action projects that we can work on together and turn into the next hits and franchises,” Lionsgate Film chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement obtained by THR.
“Lionsgate has been my home studio throughout my career as a feature director, so it only makes sense that I would base our film production business with the team that has been such extraordinary partners for so many years,” Stahelski added.
Interestingly enough, this first-look deal is different from the previous deal Stahelski struck that effectively made him the Kevin Feige of Lionsgate’s John Wick and Highlander franchises. Stahelski is set to soon start production on the long-await Highlander reboot starring Henry Cavill.
“I am pleased to be able to grow my relationship with Lionsgate in this new oversight role for the John Wick universe and its further expansion,” Stahelski shared in a statement in January via Variety. “John Wick is so close to my heart and to be able to continue shepherding it will be a blast for me. I’m so happy to also be launching another franchise with Highlander, a world that is so rich with engaging stories to be told.”
That role will see Stahelski designing a “comprehensive multiplatform content strategy for both franchises” and “guide the short- and long-term creative direction, franchise strategy, and strategic growth of these two iconic properties to ensure that quality, tone, and vision remain consistent.”
The first season of The Continental is now streaming on Peacock while Ballerina hits theaters on June 6, 2025. John Wick: Chapter 4 is now available for purchase wherever movies are sold, and first three films in the franchise are streaming on Tubi.
