Filming is currently underway on the sequel to 2014’s sleeper hit John Wick, and now the next adventure for Keanu Reeves’ black-suited hitman also has an official title and release date.
Lionsgate Entertainment announced this week that the sequel to John Wick will hit theaters February 10, 2017, and will be titled John Wick: Chapter Two. The film is being directed by stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski, who directed the first film, and is based on a script by Derek Kolstad, who penned the screenplay for John Wick.
Little is know about the plot of John Wick: Chapter Two at this point, but given the premise of the first film there’s a good chance that yet another person just couldn’t let Reeves’ character have the peaceful retirement he wanted.
“In the follow up to last year’s adrenaline-fueled revenge and redemption thriller, legendary hit man John Wick is back,” reads the official synopsis for the film.
Filming began in October 2015 on the sequel, with cameras rolling in Manhattan for much of the production there. Additional shooting is expected to take place in Rome, where some of the story will be set.
Along with bringing back Reeves as the film’s titular protagonist, John Wick: Chapter Two will also feature the return of Ian McShane as Winston, John Leguizamo as Aurelio, Lance Reddick as Charon, Tom Sadowski as Jimmy, and Bridget Moynahan as John’s deceased wife, Helen. Newcomers to the cast include Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Ruby Rose (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter), Riccardo Scamarcio (Burnt), Peter Stormare (22 Jump Street), and Common (Smokin’ Aces), with Common playing the head of security for a female crime lord and the film’s main antagonist.
In its new release date, John Wick: Chapter Two will go up against the adaptation of Charles Martin’s The Mountain Between Us, the animated feature The LEGO Batman Movie, and the sequel Fifty Shades Darker. The original John Wick earned more than $86 million worldwide on a relatively low (by Hollywood standards) $20 million budget, and became a big hit on the home-entertainment market when it arrived there.
