Mason Thames has signed on for a role in Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff Caine, directed by and starring martial arts master and the franchise’s actor Donnie Yen.
Thames joins Yen and Rina Sawayama, who will also reprise her role as Akira, and Dacre Montgomery, previously announced. Caine will be shaped by Yen’s signature approach to action filmmaking, blending precision choreography with emotional storytelling, an evolution of the style he pioneered in films such as Ip Man, Flash Point, and Hero.
Thames’s role and the logline are being kept under wraps. The new film will continue Yen’s story arc following the events of John Wick: Chapter 4, as Caine has been freed from his obligations to The High Table.
The film is now in production, produced and creatively overseen by John Wick franchise producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (John Wick: Chapters 1 through 4, Ballerina) through their Thunder Road shingle, and Chad Stahelski (John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina), who produces through his 87Eleven Entertainment production banner. John Wick star Keanu Reeves will also produce with John Saunders. Yen will also serve as an executive producer on the project, as will Courtney Brock.
The screenplay is by Mattson Tomlin, writer of the upcoming The Batman Part II and the adaptation of the Reeves-created comic book BRZRKR, and Michael McGrale.
Thames recently wrapped production on How to Train Your Dragon 2, the live-action adaptation of the animated film and sequel to the hit live-action blockbuster. He will next be seen starring in the Green Day inspired film Nimrods, and Macon Blair’s feature Idiots alongside Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr. Also star of the Black Phone franchise, he is represented by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
