If you’re like me, you’re 6’3″ and named Kyle. But if you’re also like me, you were blown away by the 2014 action revenge extravaganza known as John Wick, a movie where Keanu Reeves goes ham on every Russian mobster in the tri-state area because the boss’ idiot son decided to steal Wick’s car and kill the little puppy his wife gave him before she died. Not many people would argue that they all had it coming. The movie was so successful that it got greenlit for a sequel. We learned late last year who’s going to be in it, and now we have a title, setting, and official release date.
John Wick 2 is now officially known as John Wick: Chapter Two. I have to say, if the entire first movie took place in the first chapter of a book, that’s some pretty bad pacing. A more fun title would have been John Wick: Yeah, I’m Thinkin’ I’m Back, but that’s a bit long for a marquee.
The setting is where things start to get interesting. Chapter Two will see Wick travel to Rome and kick some “Italian ass” all up and down the piazza. Sounds like a great change of pace to me. The first movie took place in a dark and blue-hued version of New York City; setting a movie in Roma, Italia means surely it’ll be much more sunny, full of yellows and oranges. It’s hard to shoot Rome and make it look drab.
And finally, the release date: We knew for awhile it was going to be in 2017, and now we know the date specifically is February 10, 2017. The first movie came out in late October, and in years past February isn’t the best time of the year for blockbusters, but with Deadpool having raked in the money, another R-rated action film with a supremely likable (though undeniably less chatty) hero might set Valentine’s Day alight again.
John Wick: Chapter Two sees the return of director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad as well as actors Reeves, John Leguizamo, Iam McShane, Bridget Moynihan (I’m guessing in flashbacks…since her death is the catalyst for the first movie), and Lance Reddick. They’ll be joined by Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Peter Stormare, and Common. Pretty good cast all around, I’d say.
Are you ready for John Wick to go prosciutto on some gangsters? What if they have a fight scene in the Colosseum?!?!?!? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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HT: Collider
Image: Summit Entertainment
Kyle Anderson is the Weekend Editor and a film and TV critic for Nerdist.com. Follow him on Twitter!