John Wick's Chad Stahelski signs first-look deal with Lionsgate

Lionsgate has entered into a two-year-long first-look deal with John Wick director Chad Stahelski. According to the agreement, the production company 87Eleven Entertainment and its co-owner Stahelski will have to produce original action films for Lionsgate.

The deal comes shortly after Stahelski's appointment as the creative content overseer of Lionsgate's Highlander reboot and the John Wick franchise, including the first Keanu Reeves film's spinoff Ballerina. The appointment put Stahelski and his production company at the helm of designing a content strategy for the Highlander and John Wick franchises.

Speaking on the deal, the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group's chairperson Adam Fogelson said, “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.”

Meanwhile, Stahelski said, “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 is now executive producing the John Wick spinoff, as he works with the franchise's producers Erica Lee and Basil Iwanyk. He is also guiding its director Len Wiseman in the filming of additional scenes for the spinoff.