Keanu Reeves Is Back in 'John Wick 2' Set Photos
There's a dog, a mime, and an imagination run wild.
First, John Wick 2 got a distribution deal in August. Then, it got a filming start date for the fall. Actors, like Ruby Rose and Common, started to get announced.
And now, in the words of Wick himself, “People keep asking if I’m back… Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back!”
The first set footage from John Wick 2 has surfaced online. Keanu Reeves is bloodied, suited, and accompanied by a dog — the three things the 51-year-old Reeves should always be.
Warning: Spoilers
Wick I, if you recall, ends with Wick stapling his own near-fatal wounds shut, rescuing a dog, and walking off into the night with his new companion.
John Wick rescues a dog at the end of 'John Wick.'
The new photos reveal that this little guy is here to stay. And given that Wick is already dressed to kill, it’s likely that he’s a partner in carnage and not just an inspiration for vengeance.
While Wick’s dog should be the most exciting thing you see today — or quite possibly until the future birth of your child — it’s worth noting what else is going on in the set photos: There’s a fucking mime.
That mime cannot believe his eyes. Wick is back. Dog is back. Mime can’t speak:
Part of John Wick’s charm was its humor. Wick delivers punchy one-liners and the world is fashionably over-the-top, complete with an assassins hotel (the Continental) that had its own gold coin currency. This mime, however silent he may be, should not be ignored. Maybe because he’s loyal to the mime code, he is Wick’s silent accomplice. If a mime witnesses a (justified) triple homicide, does he snitch? No.
What might that mime have in his chest of secrets? Well, here’s Wick one-shot executing a pair of baddies:
Wick’s not alone in the alleyway — ignoring the filming crew, that is. A series of closeup shots reveals a couple scurrying away in the background.
Wick I, of course, featured several public shootouts. Wick had to infiltrate a New York nightclub to find (spoiler) his dog’s killer. He’s literally the best assassin ever, so he keeps all bystanders safe. So those two people walking away (in the third photo, in which he’s breaking the dude’s arm) shouldn’t worry too much. It does mean, however, that Wick’s got to enter the real world to keep everybody safe. John Wick remains our silent protector.
Not only is he silent, he’s also smooth. Watch him strip a fallen motorcyclist of his weapon:
There’s no scene to be made. Wick could easily end this guy; he’s clearly hit him with his sleek black car. He doesn’t needlessly increase death tolls. He got what he needed — that weapon and some information.
We obviously cannot know exactly how all of these tidbits piece together. If you were to tell me, “John Wick 2 features Keanu Reeves killing people,” yes, I’d be excited, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The dog, however, is the true point of intrigue. John Wick is a fighter second and a lover first. He has passion. He has a moral compass forever pointed True North. You know Wick would give himself up to save that pup. Let’s see how he does it.
