Summit Entertainment has announced the official return of key cast members to its sequel to the 2010 hit RED as well as the addition of two newcomers. RED 2 will retain stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker while adding Catherine Zeta-Jones and martial arts expert Byung-Hun Lee.
In Zeta-Jones, the series continues its trend of putting machine guns in the hands of Oscar winners. She is the third after Mirren and the first film’s star Morgan Freeman. As for Lee, this will only be the South Korean’s second Hollywood role after playing Storm Shadow in both the last and upcoming G.I. Joe films.
Dean Parisot (Fun with Dick and Jane) will direct based on a script by original RED writers Jon and Erich Hoeber. Lionsgate, which now owns Summit, will sell the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. The studio’s description of the sequel is as follows:
RED 2 brings back the team of retired CIA operatives as they use their old-school style to take on a new set of enemies all across Europe.
The film is currently slated for release on August 2, 2013.