John Wick 2 will feature a new dog for Keanu Reeves, plus more assassin-y stuff

John Wick is no ordinary movie. It gave the action genre a shot in the arm it so desperately needed, launched the filmmaking career of co-director Chad Stahelski, and introduced puppies as character motivation. The 2014 movie sees Keanu Reeves' assassin embark on a killing spree to avenge the death of his beloved mutt. As a result, we film fans were given a truly original actioner that has since made way for a sequel that's currently shooting.

The question is: will Wick still have that rescue dog he nabbed from a shelter at the end of the first movie? According to Reeves' co-star Ian McShane, who returns as the hitman hotel owner for John Wick: Chapter Two, that's an affirmative. "Keanu gets a new dog," he told EW when asked about the upcoming sequel.

He adds: "[John Wick 2] is about what comes on him after that. It’s all about the assassin’s code, if you like. He’s killed a Russian gangster and now there’s a contract out on him, so it’s a continuation. I loved the first one. This could be even better than the first."

Over the last several months we've learned a fair amount about the movie that backs up McShane's enthusiasm. The story picks up shortly after the first film and follows Wick over to Europe. As evidenced by a ker-azy behind-the-scenes video, we know that Reeves has taken extensive firearm training to better his chances battling a rival assassin.

And while the location has changed, McShane will still be involved in Wick's ongoing journey. "Well, I’m kind of the only one left from the first one," he adds. "This is the same kind of premise. It’s not like two years later, but pretty soon after the first one. Keanu [Reeves] is a great guy. They got this terrific Italian kid, Riccardo Scamarcio, who plays the chief villain, who’s excellent, and we have a lot of stuff together. And the guy who directs it, Chad Stahelski, is really smart. He’s been Keanu’s stunt guy for [nearly] 20 years and he’s studied muay-thai. He’s got every stunt man who’s available for [this film]. The action looks like it was done by somebody out of Hong Kong instead of Hollywood which I always think is a great sight."

McShane's excitement is definitely infectious, making the long wait until the film's release next year seem a little too long.

Directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Keanu Reeves, Bridget Moynahan, Peter Stormare, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Common, John Leguizamo, and Ruby Rose, John Wick: Chapter Two is released in UK and US cinemas on February 10, 2017.

Images: Thunder Road Pictures/Warner Bros

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.