In just a few short weeks, moviegoers will get the chance to return to one of the most unique fictional worlds introduced in recent memory when John Wick: Chapter Two hits theaters. Explored briefly in the 2014 first film, the world of John Wick seemed to be one of the endless interest and connections, filled with interesting characters and assassins that the action genre really hadn't seen before. Now, Keanu Reeves' unstoppable former hitman will return for yet another mayhem-fueled adventure this year, when he journeys to Italy on a mission that will have him crossing paths with both new and familiar characters.
Of course, in addition to the expert world-building demonstrated in Derek Kolstad's screenplay, the film was also memorable because of its unique approach to fighting. Combining traditional gunplay with hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, filmmakers Chad Stahelski and David Leitch coined the style "gun-fu," which only looks to be continued and expanded upon in the sequel.
In an exciting new announcement, Lionsgate and Starbreeze have announced today that the highly-anticipated VR first-person shooter, John Wick: Chronicles, for the HTC Vive virtual reality headset will be released on Steam on February 9th. Coming in conjunction with the new film, Chronicles allows the player to explore the John Wick universe's Continental Hotel, as they're tasked with assassinating targets so skilled and dangerous that only John Wick could truly take them out. The game was created by Lionsgate and Starbreeze in collaboration with Grab Games, Big Red Button and GameCo, and is available for pre-order now at $19.99.
This is just the latest in a growing number of VR projects that studios seem to be creating for release with their new and upcoming features. Just recently even, 20th Century Fox announced that it would be releasing new VR immersive experiences for both Alien: Covenant and War for the Planet of the Apes. As the technology becomes more and more accessible then, it only seems natural to assume that players may get the chance to explore even more of their favorite, fictional onscreen worlds with their VR headsets in the coming years. In terms of multimedia marketing and merchandising too, it's an exciting new step for the studios to be taking.
Indeed, the Continental Hotel was one of the most memorable aspects of the first John Wick as well. With its strict rules about no assassin-v-assassin fighting (and extreme consequences for those who violate their rules), it was one of the film's more genius bits of world-building. Luckily, with the return of Ian McShane's Winston, it seems like fans will be getting to see more from the Continental after all with the sequel - in case there weren't already enough reasons for fans to be excited to return to this world once again.
NEXT: Why John Wick Needs an Expanded Universe
Source: Starbreeze
