Action fans are currently beside themselves with delight that Keanu Reeves’ stone-cold assassin – the man, the myth, the legend – will be returning to the fray when John Wick: Chapter 2 bows in theaters early next year. But director Chad Stahelski is already thinking further afield.
When quizzed by Collider about the future of Reeves’ elusive boogeyman during New York Comic Con, Stahelski confirmed that both he and the Powers That Be at Lionsgate have already started mapping out plans for a potential third entry into the cult action series, one which would seemingly feature a more prominent role for both Ian McShane’s fan-favorite, Winston, and Lance Reddick, the composed old friend who says “how good it is to see you again so soon” to a focused John Wick in NYCC’s reveal trailer. We couldn’t agree more.
Per Collider: “The studio has asked us to put our heads together and see if we can come up with something. Winston’s [McShane] is a big part of the next one, so is Lance Reddick. We’ve got some ideas.”
[zergpaid]In the age of tentpole franchises and shared cinematic universes, it’s become commonplace for studios to push full steam ahead with a continuation to a film that is yet to hit theaters, and though this isn’t exactly an official green light, it’s practically a forgone conclusion that Keanu Reeves won’t be hanging up the hat as Mr. Wick come 2017.
What can we expect from the upcoming sequel though? Well, Chad Stahelski told Collider that he and the creative team involved are conscious of retaining a sense of focus, picking up just one day after the original 2014 hit left off.
“When it came to coming up with a story idea, we had like ten bad ideas, and they we were like, ‘fuck it,’ what would have just happened the next day. Once we stopped worrying about ourselves, it was fun. Is it as good as the first one? I don’t know, that’s personal opinion. Did we go better in some ways? Yes. Did we explore the character more? Yes. It’s better, I think, technically. Is the enjoyment better? Yes, it’s there, but it’s completely different.”
John Wick: Chapter 2 unleashes Keanu Reeves’ one-man reign of terror on February 10, 2017.
