'John Wick' spinoff 'Cain' ropes in 'The Black Phone' star— and the cast is now insane
John Wick's spinoff 'From the World of John Wick: Caine' has added another cast member to its roster. On June 3, Deadline exclusively reported that Mason Thames has been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcoming action thriller, which will center on Donnie Yen's character, Caine. In addition to playing the leading role, the martial arts expert will also direct the movie. Furthermore, Robert Askins and Mattson Tomlin co-wrote the screenplay from an original story conceptualized by Yen with Chad Stahelski. It will serve as the sixth feature film and the seventh installment in the 'John Wick' franchise, which also includes the television series 'The Continental: From the World of John Wick.'
Thames' announcement comes nearly a month after Dacre Montgomery joined the project on May 14. The 'Stranger Things' star's role has also been kept under wraps, just like Thames'. Both actors will share screen time with established characters, including Yen's titular blind assassin and Rina Sawayama's Shimazu Akira. Thames's most prominent role was playing Finney Blake in Scott Derrickson's 2021 horror film, 'The Black Phone' and its sequel, 'Black Phone 2.' He also had a recurring role in the Apple TV+ series 'For All Mankind' in 2019. The 18-year-old actor will next be seen as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III in the live-action film 'How to Train Your Dragon 2,' set to release in June 2027.
The film's plot will follow the events of 'John Wick: Chapter 4,' in which Caine was released from his obligations to the assassin organization known as The High Table. The post-credits scene showed Caine being confronted by Akira for killing her father, Shimazu Koji. The upcoming title will showcase the aftermath of these events as Caine tries to rebuild his life away from the world of crime while reconciling with his past as a killer-for-hire. The movie has been described as a modern-day classic Hong Kong-style kung-fu movie, and, with Yen's involvement behind the scenes, it's sure to blend high-precision action sequences with emotional storytelling. Yen is best recognized for his role as the martial arts grandmaster Ip Man in the eponymous film series.
'Caine' began production in Budapest, Hungary, in April and was set to move to Hong Kong in June. The spin-off is produced by 'John Wick franchise' producers like Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee through their Thunder Road Films, and Chad Stahelski through his 87Eleven Entertainment production banner. Keanu Reeves, the face of the franchise, will also serve as the producer alongside John Saunders. Furthermore, Yen and Courtney Brock have the executive producer credits on the upcoming project.
