John Wick was only a modest success in theaters, but it earned surprisingly solid reviews from critics and fans of hard-edged action movies; in the process, achieving cult hit status and establishing the Keanu Reeves "comeback" narrative that (arguably) began with his turn as the villain (and the director) on Man of Tai Chi. The upcoming sequel, John Wick: Chapter Two, is already being touted as one of 2017's more anticipated film releases.
Total Film Magazine has now debuted a pair of new covers dedicated to the sequel. The covers, released online to promote Total Film's just-released "2017 Preview" issue, feature both a newsstand and subscription-only variant. In the standard release, a still of Wick is incorporated into the magazine's more traditional ad-copy; meanwhile, the subscriber cover features a custom composition of Reeves' unstoppable hitman antihero posed in front of a wall where the number "2" has been spelled out in bullet-hits (which do not appear to have effected John Wick other than superficially).
The issue itself advertises major interviews with many of the principals involved with the production of the John Wick sequel, including Reeves and director Chad Stahelski - who (along with frequent collaborator David Leitch) is also responsible for many of the fight sequences and second-unit action direction featured in Captain America: Civil War. John Wick: Chapter Two follows its eponymous hitman on an adventure overseas to Rome, where he must battle some of the world's deadliest killers in order to fulfill a blood oath to an old acquaintance (Laurence Fishburne).
The original film introduced Reeves as a retired mob hitman who reluctantly goes back into action in order to avenge the murder of his dog (a gift from his late wife), who was killed by the spoiled son of a crime kingpin while burglarizing Wick's home - unaware of just who their mark actually was and what he is ultimately capable of. John Wick wowed action fans with its elaborate hand-to-hand combat and gunfight sequences, but also earned high marks from critics for creating a unique world of secret rules and spaces where Wick's fellow killers-for-hire operate.
Said to be set mainly in the city of Rome, Reeves and Fisburne are joined in the John Wick sequel by costars like Ruby Rose, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and legendary Italian action star Franco Nero in supporting roles. Common, Peter Stormare, Peter Serafinowicz and Lance Reddick are also set to appear.
NEXT: John Wick Comic Book Announced for 2017
Source: Games Radar
