John Wickcame as a surprise to everyone in 2014 and wound up being a bit of an unexpected hit. Those who loved the movie have something to look forward to next year in the form ofJohn Wick: Chapter 2, which will be bringingKeanu Reevesback as the famous hitman. This time around, he will be reunited with hisMatrixco-starLaurence Fishburne, and we now have our first look at them together again.
The newJohn Wick 2photo comes fromEntertainment Weeklyand showsKeanu ReevesasJohn Wickface-to-face withLaurence Fishburne, who is playing a new character in the action franchise called “the Bowery King.“Keanu Reevesspoke with EW a bit about the movie and working withLaurence Fishburneagain. Here is what he had to say.
“It was so cool to have a chance to work with Laurence Fishburne again, with the history that we have professionally and personally. I ran into him, and he was saying that he was a fan of the first film, and was there anything in the second film. I said, ‘As a matter of fact there is!’ So, we sent him the project and he responded to the role. Lawrence is playing a character called the Bowery King. He is a leader of this underworld in New York City. He knows everything about everything and he helps John in his mission. It was cool to act with him again and hopefully people will enjoying seeing us reunited.”
The firstJohn Wickwas entertaining and featured a lot ofincredible action, but the movie itself was rather simple. Some bad guys killed a former hitman’s dog and he decides to go kill them and everyone associated with them as a form of revenge. Sure, there is a bit more to it than that, but the bones of the movie are quite straightforward. However, there were nuances like theContinental Hoteland people likeIan McShane’s character who added some depth. That said, there is probably some temptation on the creative side forJohn Wick: Chapter 2to repeat that pattern, but directorChad Stahelskipromises it will be a bit different, and that no dogs or cats will be murdered this time around.
“It’s tricky when you do a sequel. You don’t want to fall into the trap of retelling the first story again. Certainly, we didn’t want to kill another puppy - or kill a cat. [Laughs] We wanted to show more of the John Wick world, what he would have experienced before he settled down and tried to get out of the business.”
Chad Stahelskiis directing solo this time around, after co-directing withDavid Leitchon the first movie, who has moved on to directingDeadpool 2. The cast includes returning members likeKeanu Reeves,Ian McShane,John Leguizamo,Bridget Moynahan,Thomas SadoskiandLance Reddick, in addition to new cast membersCommon,Ruby Rose,Riccardo Scamarcioand the aforementionedLaurence Fishburne.John Wick: Chapter 2is set for release onFebruary 10, 2017. Be sure to check out the new photo for yourself below.
