Fans of John Wick have a reason to be excited — John Wick 2 has received the green light, and filming will begin in the fall.
Total Film revealed that Thunder Road announced production this week, with filming to begin in the next couple of months. The sequel will feature a returning Keanu Reeves as the retired hitman, but he won’t be alone. Co-directors from the first film, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, will also return to direct the sequel, alongside screenwriter Derek Kolstad. At this time, plot details are still under wraps.
As Cinema Blend confirmed earlier this year, the sequel has been shifting towards development for a while. Stahelski gave his thoughts earlier in 2015.
“If there’s great action but you have a character that no one likes and doesn’t have charisma, you’re not going to watch it. Look at any great action star, whether it’s Harrison Ford or Liam Neeson or Robert Downey Jr., pick a name. You love the guy first. Good action, bad action, you just love them in action. So we want to make sure we have a story and a character that everybody loves and then we’ll dress it with action that we promise will be awesome.”
A Lionsgate spokesman would then announce a sequel in May.
“With such tremendous fan and critical support for John Wick , we knew that there was still so much more of this story to tell. We are thrilled that Keanu, David and Chad have re-teamed with us and promise to bring audiences even more excitement the second time around.”
The original film starred Keanu Reeves as John Wick, a retired assassin who is forced to return to a life of crime when a gang of Russian criminals invade his home, steal his car, and kill the puppy left to him by his late wife, before foolishly leaving him unconscious. Seeking revenge like only an ex-assassin can, Wick unleashes a violent wave of vengeance on those who did him wrong.
With subtle nods to some of Reeve’s earlier action work, it’s no wonder the film was well-received. John Wick was a sleeper hit in 2014, making $78 million on a budget of just $20 million. It also launched Reeves back onto the A-list. Reeves is no stranger to rejuvenating his career with a solid action movie — he did the same with Point Break (1991), Speed (1995), and The Matrix (1999) earlier in his career.
A release date is yet to be confirmed, but John Wick 2 can be expected in cinemas in late 2016.
[Image – Thunder Road Pictures]
