Speaking to Collider, actor Keanu Reeves discussed the process in furthering the story for "John Wick 2" and what fans should expect in the film when it releases, which is expected to be in the latter half of 2016.
Reeves explained that the first aspect they covered was the reason to do a sequel. He said that they didn't want to repeat the same beats of the first film while still giving John Wick a reason to go back into the world of assassins and violence, a world he purposely attempted to retire from during the first film.
The actor then explained that there were two sides of the character that had to be explored:
"I think we have a really good premise, and it's an organic premise. It's basically - to me there's John Wick and then there's John. You know, John is the married guy whose wife just died, and that five years of his life. Then there's John Wick, who's the mythical assassin. In this, John Wick's past comes and infiltrates John's life and John Wick, in a way, has to fight for John."
The first film showcased John Wick's capability as a hitman, and Reeves explained that he and the team have been further developing the 'gun-Fu" martial arts used in the film while also ensuring that it remains realistic and that Wick won't suddenly gain unexplainable superpowers of some sort.
Reeves then confirmed that the Hotel Continental and the world of assassins that the first film introduced will be making a return in the sequel. The actor stated that director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad listened to the fans and took note of what they want further explored in a sequel.
However, he did state that while a sequel has been greenlit and is expected to enter production by next month, turning the films into a franchise has not yet been discussed or confirmed at this point.
