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Thread: John Wick: Chapter 2

  1. #1
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    John Wick: Chapter 2

    Looks like this is a go. 'a multiple-title action franchise'

    I posted on this earlier on the first John Wick thread.

    Lionsgate Planning ‘John Wick’ Sequel



    February 6, 2015 | 07:57AM PT
    Dave McNary
    Film Reporter @Variety_DMcNary

    Lionsgate is planning a sequel to Keanu Reeves’ action-thriller “John Wick.”

    CEO Jon Feltheimer made the announcement Friday during a conference call with analysts to discuss the studio’s earnings for the third quarter ended Dec. 31.

    “We see ‘John Wick’ as a multiple-title action franchise,” Feltheimer said.

    The movie grossed $43 million domestically and $35 million internationally following its October launch. Feltheimer noted that the title had performed well in ancillary markets.

    “John Wick,” directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, also starred Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe. In the action pic, Reeves plays a retired hitman seeking vengeance for the killing of his puppy, a gift from his late wife.

    The film was produced by Basil Iwanyk of Thunder Road Pictures, Leitch, Eva Longoria and Michael Witherill. Stahelski and Leitch previously worked with Reeves as stunt doubles on The Matrix trilogy.

    Movies.com first reported that Stahelski and Leitch were developing a sequel.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #2
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    If they keep that action up it should be worth a couple more. The plot seems kind of limited like it wasn't intended for a sequel, but i guess add a couple lines and movie magic it together. I'm in.
    "The perfect way to do, is to be" ~ Lao Tzu

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    I'm thinking he's back too....

    ...but I thought that with the success of the first one.

    5/04/2015 @ 3:30PM 7,949 views
    Keanu Reeves Is Back: Lionsgate Announces 'John Wick 2'
    Scott Mendelson
    Contributor



    “People keep asking if I’m back and I haven’t really had an answer, but yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.”

    That quote-worthy line, which was featured heavily in the trailers, works both as a declaration of the film’s lead character, as well as a commentary on the reemergence of its lead actor. It is now a prophecy. John Wick 2 is a go, and Keanu Reeves is indeed “back.” Lions Gate Entertainment LGF +0.57% is officially going forward with John Wick 2. Also returning are original directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and screenwriter Derek Kolstad. I won’t speculate on returning cast members since revealing who might in-fact return would constitute a spoiler for the first film. Okay, I’m guessing Lance Red**** will be around in some capacity. The film will be released by Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label and will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, who produced the first picture. Lionsgate will be selling the film’s international rights at Cannes this week, and the release date is currently unknown.

    Now this isn’t exactly a shocking development, as Reeves and other related parties have openly discussed the likelihood of a second chapter in the John Wick saga, but this is still a welcome development just the same. John Wick was one of the happier surprises of last year, one of the best films of 2014 as well as a rare film that performed above expectations through sheer force of will. If Keanu Reeves’s Speed is the best of the would-be Die Hard knock-offs, then John Wick, which concerned a retired hitman who seeks out the young mob-connected punk who murdered his dog, is easily the best of the “older actor goes on revenge-fueled killing spree” to come out in the wake of Liam Neeson’s Taken. Although my opinion that John Wick is better than Taken is probably less controversial than my opinion that Speed is better than Die Hard, but I digress.

    The picture was a somewhat last-minute pick-up for Lionsgate, just 11 weeks before its debut and with no financial obligation beyond prints-and-advertising. I was aware of the movie beforehand, as I’m in that odd category known as “Keanu Reeves fan,” but I was under the impression that it would be something of an under-the-radar release, perhaps a mostly-VOD offering along the lines of Salma Hayek’s Everly. But bit-by-bit the film became more of a big deal, first as it was acquired by Lionsgate, then it was slotted for a somewhat wide release on October 24th (“Hey, Box Office Mojo now lists it with bold letters in their release calendar!”), and then when it was given an IMAX release. Point being, by the time, October 24th rolled around, John Wick was indeed being treated as a serious theatrical release.

    Lionsgate did a heck of a job turning what could have been a VOD/DTV action title into a genuine mainstream release, and something of an event for action junkies. I’m not just saying that because I got quoted in the ad campaign right before release. Of course, it helped that the film was good and had material for great trailers. I was lucky enough to see it relatively early on (a couple weeks after the film’s smashing debut at the Fantastic Fest), and I was quite impressed. But what pleased me most about the film’s reception is how it represented something of a coronation for longtime Keanu Reeves fans, and something of an open acknowledgement that Mr. Reeves, long ridiculed for his underacting and somewhat quirky personality, was in-fact (A) very cool, (B) a darn good actor and an engaging screen presence, and (C) a much smarter guy than he was often given credit for, even by those who had seen his dynamite “film versus digital” documentary Side By Side back in 2012.

    The film felt like a generational homecoming, uniting fans who had grown up with (depending on your age) Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Point Break, Speed, and/or The Matrix trilogy. Now he has mostly done smaller-scale fare (like Thumbsucker and Street Kings) and periodic “big” movies that didn’t leave much of an impact (Constantine, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 47 Ronin) over the last twelve years. But point being, the John Wick capitalized on a generation that grew up with Reeves and were now old enough to be the critical consensus and thus give him his due. Lionsgate was able to parlay the film’s unexpected quality into a chief marketing chip, and the film continued to build steam thanks to strong reviews while Reeves sold the hell out of it (partially by teasing a probably non-existent Bill and Ted 3 in interviews). A video game tie-in with the Payday 2 video game didn’t hurt either.

    The end result is John Wick, which was tracking at $7 million on its opening weekend ended up with a $14m debut weekend, including strong business from IMAX and various PLF theaters. Now those are not blockbuster numbers, but it frankly felt darn good, as a critic, to see what clearly was a case of a good film overperforming thanks partially to overwhelming critical support. That may be a periodic occurrence for artier fare and/or indie darlings, but it’s exceedingly rare for wide releases. So yes, as stupid as it may sound, I took some pride and some ownership in the relative box office triumph of John Wick, which earned $78m worldwide off a $20m production budget. It also earned around $20m from digital platforms alone, as well as around $17m from DVD and Blu Ray sales.

    Again, it’s not a monster hit, but it’s not hard to imagine that John Wick 2 (or whatever they end up calling it) ends up being, on a relative scale, the kind of breakout sequel I always talk about. Now I’m not saying that John Wick 2 is going to open with massive numbers, but it’s hard not to see the sequel to the buzzy and leggy original film, one whose reputation has only grown in the months since its theatrical release, blowing up a bit over opening weekend as a result of earned goodwill from the first installment. Lionsgate presumably sees this as a new franchise, and frankly the film’s “expanded universe” is actually interesting enough to make me want to see more of the world.

    But beyond mere speculation, we are in-fact getting a second John Wick. Because sometimes we deserve more than the truth, because sometimes we deserve to have our faith rewarded. John Wick was a rare case of an unexpected mainstream genre hit in a world where the genre-centric box office hits seem all-but-preordained with little room for a genuine surprise. To the critics who championed the film, to the fans who saw it early and told your friends, to the Lionsgate marketing department who helped make an iconic hit out of a movie no one else wanted, savor this win. It is well-deserved. The press release is below/after the junp.

    LIONSGATE RELOADS “JOHN WICK 2”

    Keanu Reeves, Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski Return

    Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) has confirmed plans to produce a sequel to 2014’s critically-acclaimed breakout hit “JOHN WICK,” it was announced today by Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger, Co-Chairmen of the Theatrical Motion Pictures Group. Keanu Reeves along with directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski as well as screenwriter, Derek Kolstad are set to return for the sequel. The film will be released through Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment and will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, who produced the first film.

    In the follow up to last year’s adrenaline-fueled revenge and redemption thriller, legendary hit man John Wick is back.

    “With such tremendous fan and critical support for ‘John Wick,’ we knew that there was still so much more of this story to tell,” said Jason Constantine, President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions. “We are thrilled that Keanu, David and Chad have re-teamed with us and promise to bring audiences even more excitement the second time around.”

    Jason Constantine and Eda Kowan at Lionsgate will oversee the project on behalf of the studio.

    Lionsgate International will be selling the picture internationally at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.
    Gene Ching
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  4. #4
    I did not really care for the first. But that scene with the puppy was the best scene in the film. Cute little pup. Very sad scene.

  5. #5
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    February 10, 2017

    John Wick: Chapter Two Gets a Release Date
    BY MAX EVRY ON FEBRUARY 18, 2016


    John Wick: Chapter Two gets a release date

    Lionsgate will release the Keanu Reeves action sequel with the newly-christened title John Wick: Chapter Two on February 10, 2017. The film will take place at least partly in Rome.

    Also scheduled to open on February 10, 2017 are The Mountain Between Us, The LEGO Batman Movie, and Fifty Shades Darker.

    Besides Reeves’ title hitman, returning characters include Winston (Ian McShane), Aurelio (John Leguizamo), Hotel Manager Charon (Lance Red****), Jimmy (Tom Sadowski) and the title character’s deceased wife Helen Wick (Bridget Moynahan). Also onboard the John Wick 2 cast as fresh faces are Morpheus himself Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix trilogy), Ruby Rose (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter), Riccardo Scamarcio (Burnt), Peter Stormare (22 Jump Street) and Common (Smokin’ Aces) playing the sequel’s main villain, the head of security for a female crime lord.

    “In the follow up to last year’s adrenaline-fueled revenge and redemption thriller,” reads the sequel’s temporarily minimal plot synopsis, “legendary hit man John Wick is back.”

    John Wick: Chapter Two is directed by Chad Stahelski, who co-helmed the first movie, with John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad also returning for the sequel, which will be released through Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment and is produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk. Iwanyk also produced the first film.

    Produced on a modest $20 million budget, John Wick earned more than $86 million at the worldwide box office and also became a hit in the home video market.
    We'll meet back here in a year...
    Gene Ching
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    JOHN WICK 2 Trailer Teaser (2017) Keanu Reeves Action Movie HD

    Gene Ching
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    In the wake of NYCC

    Gene Ching
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    John Wick: Chapter 2 - Trailer 2 - Warner Bros. UK

    Gene Ching
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    JΟHN WІCK 2 Super Bowl Trailer (2017) Keanu Reeves, Action Movie HD

    Gene Ching
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    Our latest ezine offering

    But now, yeah, we're thinkin' he's back. Read No Rest for John Wick in JOHN WICK 2 by Lori Ann White
    Gene Ching
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    $30 m

    Not bad for John Wick. "John Wick has now made a case for itself as a certifiable franchise."


    "The Lego Batman Movie" New York Screening at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 on February 9, 2017 in New York City. Photograph by Roy Rochlin—FilmMagic
    Box Office Numbers
    ‘Lego Batman Movie’ Tops ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ With $55.6 Million Box Office Weekend
    Reuters
    2:39 AM Pacific

    Costumed avengers, a billionaire with a kinky side, and a brutally efficient hit man proved to be just the tonic for an ailing domestic box office.
    The Lego Batman Movie bested Fifty Shades Darker at the multiplexes over the weekend, earning a robust $55.6 million to capture first place. Fifty Shades Darker, the sequel to 2015's Fifty Shades of Grey, couldn't quite match its predecessor's $85.2 million launch. It had to settle for a still sizable $46.8 million debut and second place on the box office chart.
    Not to be outdone, Lionsgate's John Wick: Chapter 2, a followup to 2015's John Wick, picked up a smashing $30 million. That's more than double what the first film racked up during its debut. The headlines will inevitably be about Fifty Shades Darker and The Lego Batman Movie, but the John Wick follow-up's numbers are more impressive. It grew its audience substantially, adding more female viewers to the mix. Like Pitch Perfect and Austin Powers, both of which saw a major increase in ticket sales between their first and second installment, John Wick has now made a case for itself as a certifiable franchise.
    "The first John Wick came out of nowhere theatrically and we know from the home entertainment team it way over indexed the norm," said David Spitz, Lionsgate's distribution chief. "Consumers loved everything about the world of John Wick."
    The three new releases succeeded by appealing to different demographics and age groups—kids went to the new Lego movie, women were titilated by Christian Grey's red room, and men looked on as Keanu Reeve's assassin made quick work of his foes. Heading into the weekend, stateside ticket sales were lagging behind last year's numbers, down nearly 3% from 2016. Studio executives and exhibition industry insiders hope that this weekend will help reinvigorate interest in moviegoing, a comeback that will be aided by the upcoming release of Logan, a new Wolverine movie, and a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast.
    Warner Bros. backed The Lego Batman Movie and sees the animated films built around the line of Danish toys as being key to its corporate future. The studio is leaning heavily on a slate of animated Lego films, DC Comics adventures, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a Harry Potter spinoff, to help it compete with Disney (DIS, +0.20%). That studio has popularized the concept of branded movies, with its arsenal of Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar films. The Lego Batman Movie cost $80 million to make, which is downright affordable at a time when many animated films carry budgets that are more than $200 million. It pits Batman against the Joker, and boasts a voice cast that includes Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes. The series kicked off with 2014's The Lego Movie, which made $469.2 million globally. Next September brings another spin-off, The Lego Ninjago Movie, a martial arts adventure with the voice of Jackie Chan.
    "Brick by brick, The Lego Movie launched related stories," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution. "This was just a fun and cool story."
    The Lego Batman Movie now as the biggest opening of any 2017 release, but it did fall short of projections. Some analysts had predicted the family film would make more than $60 million.
    Fifty Shades Darker is a Universal release. The studio didn't give a budget for the film (as is its wont these days), but knowledgeable estimates put its cost in the range of $55 million. The sequel may have lost some of the audience who saw the first film to see just how much riding crop would make its way to screens, but there are other reasons it couldn't equal the reception of Fifty Shades of Grey. That movie benefited from being released over the President's Day holiday, a period that also coincided with Valentine's Day, making it the date night movie dujour.
    Nick Carpou, Universal's domestic distribution chief, said that he expects that the film will show more endurance than its predecessor. Valentine's Day takes place on Tuesday, and audiences are rating the sequel better than the original, giving it a B+ CinemaScore, as opposed to the C+ that Fifty Shades of Grey received. Critics, for their part, hated it, but they didn't care for the first movie, nor the book on which it is based.
    "The interest in it will spread out more," predicted Carpou. "With next weekend being a holiday, it gives us a chance to have repeat business."
    Universal's Split surrendered the first place it had occupied for three consecutive weekends to the barrage of newcomers. The hit thriller took in $9.3 million to capture fourth place on the chart, while pushing its domestic haul to $112.3 million.
    Fox's Hidden Figures rounded out the top five, earning $8 million. The Oscar-nominated drama about African-American NASA employees fighting racial prejudice in the early days of the space program has made $131.4 million stateside.
    In milestone news, Universal and Illumination's Sing topped $500 million globally. The animated film about a talent competition has launched a new animated franchise for the studios.
    On the indie front, Fox Searchlight's A United Kingdom opened in four theaters, grossing $70,000 for a per-screen average of $17,500. The drama chronicles a love affair between the King Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a white woman from London, and the controversy it sparked.
    The Weinstein Company's Lion continued to chug along in its twelfth weekend, seeing its numbers rise even as it lost 68 screens. The drama about a man who uses Google Earth to find his long lost family in India grossed $4.1 million to push its domestic returns above $30 million. David Glasser, the company's COO, argued that the story, which touches on immigration, has struck a nerve in a political climate dominated by talk of travel bans from certain countries. India is not one of the country's targeted by the Trump administration, but Lion star Sunny Pawar, a native of the country, did have trouble getting permission to enter the U.S. for the film's premiere.
    "This is a zeitgeist movie," he said. "As people discover it, you wouldn't believe the emails that are pouring in. Every day we wake up to notes from politicians, tennis players, even a woman I know from Middle America all saying this couldn't be more timely."
    Overall ticket sales did slide, and were unable to match the year-ago period, a weekend that saw the $132.4 million debut of Deadpool. Still, analysts note that weekend was President's Day, a holiday that's been pushed back by a week in 2017, making comparisons difficult. Some box office sages predicted that this will be the start of a torrid run at the multiplexes, one that will ultimately eclipse the high-water mark established last year."This is the true kickoff of what could be the biggest year ever," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore. "This weekend is the star of our record run."
    Gene Ching
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    John Wick 3

    JUNE 01, 2017 12:12pm PT by Borys Kit
    'John Wick 3' Brings Back Writer Derek Kolstad (Exclusive)


    Getty Images

    He penned the screenplays for the first two Keanu Reeves hits.
    Derek Kolstad, who penned the Keanu Reeves hits John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2, will keep the bullets flying.

    The scribe has been tapped to pen the screenplay for the third installment of the action franchise, John Wick: Chapter 3, for Lionsgate and producer Basil Iwanyk.

    Chapter 3 is being fast-tracked to start production this fall with Reeves expected to reprise his role of beleaguered hitman John Wick. Chad Stahelski, who co-directed the first movie with Derek Leitch and sat solo behind the camera for the second one, is working with Kolstad and developing the project with an eye to direct it.

    The two Wick installments have made over $250 million worldwide while being smartly and modestly budgeted. The movies, which took audiences deep into a worldwide society of assassins, have also been a hit with critics.

    Bringing back Kolstad is seen as keeping the creative team intact and not messing up a winning combination.

    Kolstad wrote the original Wick on spec; it was originally titled Scorn. The writer is keeping a handle on his creation’s activities outside the movies, having also written the VR video game, John Wick: Chronicles (currently available on Steam), and is consulting on the John Wick comic book series, coming out later this year.

    Kolstad is repped by APA, Circle of Confusion and Behr Abramson Levy.
    John Wick
    John Wick 2
    John Wick 3
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    First forum review!

    Srsly? No one here has chimed in on this one yet?

    Well, allow me.

    Yeah, I know - late to the party on this one. Been hoping to see it for free somewhere but finally dropped the iTunes rental fee.

    What a tasty chunk of ultravi. Excellent action sequences. Brilliant fight choreography. Best Gun Fu I've seen in years. I luv the Wick world, as absurd as it is, but the notion of this classy hitman underground with a sort of chivalric code just works so well for my suspension of belief. Keanu may have had one too many lines, but I'll forgive him for the stunning stuntwork. Luv the style of it too.

    I'm all in for JW3.
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    Srsly? No one here has chimed in on this one yet?

    Well, allow me.

    Yeah, I know - late to the party on this one. Been hoping to see it for free somewhere but finally dropped the iTunes rental fee.

    What a tasty chunk of ultravi. Excellent action sequences. Brilliant fight choreography. Best Gun Fu I've seen in years. I luv the Wick world, as absurd as it is, but the notion of this classy hitman underground with a sort of chivalric code just works so well for my suspension of belief. Keanu may have had one too many lines, but I'll forgive him for the stunning stuntwork. Luv the style of it too.

    I'm all in for JW3.
    I saw this awhile back, Gene, but didn't think to write a forum review on it. I also enjoyed it and look forward to the next installment. IMO, it did not have quite the impact of the first one, for obvious reasons. One of the things that made part 1 so great, for me, was the original lead villain. He reminded me of an underworld version of The Most Interesting Man in the World, and he had some great lines. The main baddie in part 2 didn't have the same level of charisma, IMO.

  15. #15
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    I agree Jimbo

    I almost always post reviews because for me, that's a big chunk of the usefulness of this forum, that and news. Plus I'm a writer by trade and it's a good place for me to write informally. Plus I'm paid to be here - which is to say I'm on the clock when I'm posting.

    The first film was fresher and far superior. The villain, the dog set-up, the whole "I'm back" thing, it was all stronger in the first film. But the second film was satisfying. The Wick world was a little more developed. And it's an obvious set-up for the third film. I totally agree about Nyquist. He was a great actor and really captured something unique with JW1.

    Have you seen Atomic Blonde, Jimbo?
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