Lionsgate must’ve heard that Sony announced four new films about The Beatles at last night’s presentation and decided they needed four “John Wick” movies to match.
Lionsgate Chairman Adam Fogelson took to the CinemaCon 2025 stage to showcase their upcoming slate for the Cinema United exhibitors and committed to supporting theaters with solid release windows. Little was said to celebrate 2024, considering Lionsgate’s challenging year. Costly films like “Borderlands,” “Megalopolis,” and “The Crow” flopped hard last year, but Fogelson laid out a plan for a comeback in 2025 and beyond.
The new keystone for Lionsgate is building a strong foundation for a “John Wick” universe. Coming out soon is the long-awaited “Ballerina” (or “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina”), starring Ana De Armas. Director Len Wiseman joined Armas on stage to showcase an extended action sequence from the film. In the clip, Armas’ Eve gets ambushed in an old pub, leading to a brutal fight. The action was as brutal as one would expect, with creative choreography and some funny moments as well. The new trailer leans hard on John Wick himself, but hopefully, they aren’t overrepresenting how much he’s in the final film.
Fogelson followed this by announcing three new films in the “John Wick” universe. First up is the confirmation of “John Wick 5,” which has been long-rumored, with Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves returning. Donnie Yen will also return in a spinoff focused on his “John Wick: Chapter 4” character Caine, which he’ll also direct this summer. Finally, and most surprisingly, director Shannon Tindle (“Ultraman: Rising“) will take the reins for an animated “John Wick” prequel. There’s no footage to show, but the concept art looked brilliantly stylized. R-rated animation is hit or miss for theaters, but the draw of “John Wick” could propel this to success.
Director Francis Lawrence took the stage to highlight two of his upcoming films, continuing his long relationship with the studio. The first was “The Long Walk,” the adaptation of the early Stephen King novel. The book has a distinctly “Hunger Games“-esque premise (written decades before Suzanne Collins’ series), which is perhaps what drew Lawrence to the material. Mark Hamill and David Jonsson joined Lawrence on stage to introduce the new trailer, which looks grim, stark, and a fitting tone for the horror novel. Lawrence then chatted with Fogelson about his next film, the adaptation of the newly released “Hunger Games” Haymitch Abernathy’s prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping.” Though Lionsgate gave out copies of the book to everyone in attendance, they didn’t reveal anything new about the film. Lawrence said they’re in the middle of the casting process now and that they’ll film this summer. They did release a logo treatment featuring Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch, saying, “I think these games are going to be different.”
In a quick flurry of announcements, Fogelson gave an update on Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael.” Or rather, he said there were no updates. Despite showcasing a trailer for the film all the way back at last year’s CinemaCon, no news is likely bad news. The production has been rumored to require extensive reshoots, so it’s almost certainly getting pushed from its October 3rd release date. Next, director Luca Guadagnino sent a video to say that his “American Psycho” adaptation is underway, with Scott Z. Burns writing the script now.
Two new trailers dropped for more light-hearted fare next. Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut “Good Fortune” looks hilarious, with Keanu Reeves playing Aziz’s guardian angel. Aziz plays a broke guy who worked as an assistant for a rich tech bro (Seth Rogen). When Aziz wishes to switch lives, the angel makes it happen to teach the guy a lesson. Instead, he discovers that being rich really does make his life better. The movie looks well-shot and very funny. In a similar vein, John Carney’s newest music-driven picture, “Power Ballad,” unveiled its first trailer. Starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, this movie centers around a wedding singer (Rudd) who has a run-in with a pop star (Jonas) whose star is fading a bit. After the two have a good time playing some music together, Jonas ends up stealing Rudd’s song, turning it into a big hit of his own. It’s essentially John Carney’s “Big Fat Liar,” so naturally it looks fantastic.
Fogelson next brought out director Paul Feig, but conveniently, they didn’t discuss “Another Simple Favor,” which is skipping theaters and landing directly on Prime Video. Instead, they brought out the cast of his next film, “The Housemaid,” an adaptation of Frieda McFadden’s viral thriller novel. Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfriend, and Brandon Sklenar joined him on stage and raved about the filming process. Feig said that he’s wanted to tackle a thriller for ages and that it’s pretty much all he watches. Seyfried was passionate about the role, saying that it was “life-affirming, career-affirming” and that they “got to do some wacky shit too.” They debuted the trailer, which looks like a fairly generic thriller. For someone who hasn’t read the book, nothing about the trailer set it apart from a dozen similar stories. Nevertheless, Feig is confident in his film, telling Fogelson, “You’ve got a big hit on your hands.”
Finally, Fogelson ended the presentation with a bang, bringing out director Trey Edward Shults, Jenna Ortega, and The Weeknd for their film “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” While the footage doesn’t explain much in the way of the story, it’s gorgeously shot. Shults says it’s challenging to describe, calling it a “visceral cinematic experience” unlike any film he’s ever seen. The presentation wrapped with a two-song set from The Weeknd, who honestly brought a level of energy rarely seen among the CinemaCon audience. Will that translate to the theater owners’ profits?
Relative to Sony’s presentation and presentations in years past, Fogelson didn’t spend much time discussing Lionsgate’s commitment to the theatrical experience but focused on the films themselves, promising exhibitors quality content that will draw in crowds. Will their big bet on “John Wick” pay off? Let’s hope their 2025 is an improvement from last year.
What was your favorite announcement from Lionsgate’s presentation? Which trailer are you most hoping to see? Do you think we’ll get casting for “Sunrise on the Reaping” soon? Let us know in the comment below or over on our Twitter account.
