CinemaCon: Lionsgate and Sony make franchise moves with John Wick and Spider-Man
CinemaCon 2025 is underway and picking up a full head of steam with major Hollywood film studios presenting an onslaught of upcoming projects.
Sony and Lionsgate kicked off proceedings on March 31 and April 1, teasing big things from their respective John Wick and Spider-Man franchises.
Film News Blitz’s David Bason tries to make sense of it all.
John Wick is dead, long live John Wick
Lionsgate made a huge splash with its trio of announced projects expanding the John Wick franchise, including the big news that Keanu Reeves and director/producer Chad Stahelski are returning for John Wick 5.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said (via The Hollywood Reporter), “Keanu, Chad, Basil [Iwanyk] and Erica [Lee] would not return unless they had something truly phenomenal and fresh to say with these characters and this world.
“We can’t wait for audiences to see where the journey takes us next.”
Reeves will also star in an animated John Wick prequel, and the franchise is stretching further with Donnie Yen directing and starring in a Caine spin-off.
The studio also unveiled an extended look at the upcoming Ana de Armas-starring spin-off Ballerina, due in cinemas on June 6.
READ MORE: Film news: Ana de Armas confronts Keanu Reeves’ John Wick in Ballerina trailer
Lionsgate also announced the likes of its upcoming Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, along with Luca Guadagnino’s American Psycho remake and Paul Feig’s Sydney Sweeney-starring thriller The Housemaid.
Sony swings into action with Spidey
Sony Pictures was also going heavy-handed on franchise material, using CinemaCon to tease footage of the animated threequel, Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Fans eagerly awaiting the next step of the incredible animated Miles Morales story will see its conclusion on June 4 2027.
Sony also officially announced the fourth instalment in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man live-action series.
Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will swing into theatres on July 31 next year.
Another big franchise announcement was that of director Wes Ball’s Zelda adaptation, now slated for a March 26, 2027 release.
Sony’s offerings included looks at 28 Years Later, Karate Kid: Legends and Sam Mendes announcing four live-action Beatles biopics, all coming to theatres in 2028.
The amazing cinematic event will tell stories from four unique perspectives, with Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Star, and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon.
"Each [film] is told from the particular perspective of just one of the [Beatles]," said Mendes (via the BBC).
"They intersect in different ways - sometimes overlapping, sometimes not.
"They're four very different human beings. Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply.
“But together, all four films will tell the story of the greatest band in history."
Warner Bros, Universal, Amazon MGM, Paramount and Disney are set to present slates as CinemaCon in Las Vegas runs through April 3.
