Very quickly storming into production following the original's breakout success, the sequel to John Wick started shooting last autumn. Keanu Reeves is, of course, back in the title role, with returning support from John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Bridget Moynihan, and Lance Reddick. And we now have a title and a release date. The film is called John Wick: Chapter Two and will be with us at the start of next year.
New to the cast are Ruby Rose, Laurence Fishburne, Peter Stormare and Common, and while there's no news on the specific plot yet, it's been revealed that at least some of the story will take place in Rome. Other than that, the synopsis so far is "John Wick is back".
“We have ideas for days and without blinking twice we know we can outdo the action from the original,” said director Chad Stahelski a few months ago. “It’s the matter of story and how much you like the character. That’s always the most important. 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.”
Stahelski is directing on his own this time, with his former cohort David Leitch opting instead to make The Coldest City. Derek Kolstad remains the screenwriter, however, and John Wick: Chapter Two will be out in the US on February 10 next year. Hopefully the release won't, as it was last time, be months later in the UK.