We already knew it was happening, but now we have a timescale. Following up the stonking original with some alacrity, John Wick 2** will rage into production in the autumn of this year. Keanu Reeves, directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, and producer Basil Iwanyck are all returning for more mayhem.
“We have ideas for days and without blinking twice we know we can outdo the action from the original,” Stahelski said a couple of 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.”
That story is clearly now in place, although nobody's yet spilling any details. The official plot synopsis so far is, "John Wick is back".
“With such tremendous fan and critical support for John Wick, we knew that there was still so much more of this story to tell,” says studio Lionsgate's Jason Constantine. “We are thrilled that Keanu, David and Chad have reteamed with us and promise to bring audiences even more excitement the second time around.”
As we said, John Wick 2 goes before the cameras imminently, presumably for a release next year. Hopefully this time the UK won't have to wait months longer than everyone else.