Chad Stahelski Officially Confirmed To Direct 'John Wick 3'
After two films and a quietly impressive $259 million-dollar international gross, the John Wick family is now ‘whole’ heading into the series’ third installment.
Thanks to the folks at That Hashtag Show, we can confirm John’s “excommunicado” status will be a dish best served by the very man (and creative team) who directed John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2 – Chad Stahelski. The 49 year-old former stuntman-turned-action auteur is expected to begin principal photography early March in New York City and will be joined by members of Wick's original creative team including series producer Basil Iwanyk and creator and writer Derek Kolstad.
While Stahelski’s return felt like a foregone conclusion, there was always a slim probability the former 90's stunt double for Reeves would return in producer-capacity with looming plans of a Highlander reboot. And now with Stahelski’s recently announced adaptation of “Kill or Be Killed” and next year's Wick 3 release, it's sounding less and less likely Highlander will be taking off anytime soon.
In addition to Stahelski, Hash Tag sources confirm that none other than Common and Ruby Rose will reprise their roles as our beloved tension-filled pansexually charged assassins “Cassian” and “Ares.” - Spoiler – they survived. Laurence Fishburne will reprise his role as the king of New York’s literal underground of assassins. And in the spirit of Reeves casting reunions, "Wick 3" will also reunite the 53 year-old superstar with fellow Ronin 47 actor Hiroyuki Sanada who is currently in negotiations to portray one of Wick’s main antagonist’s vying to satisfy Wick's excommunicado status. Does the head of Japan’s 'High Table' have a beef with John?
And if that wasn’t enough, Hash Tag also confirms Stahelski and co. are looking to cast a female opposite Reeves in her late 20’s to early 40’s. While we know Keanu is all aboard with the idea of Tilda Swinton joining the Wick family, and why not she's fricken TILDA SWINTON, I’m holding out hope this may be one of two remote possibilities. 1. The introduction of a female assassin from the recently acquired spec-script and Wick spin-off “Ballerina” or 2. Lorraine F-n Broughton.
I suppose it's only a matter of time until we find out. John Wick 3 is set to debut in theaters May 17, 2019 (US).
