In recent years, Keanu Reeves has left arguably his biggest mark on the cinematic landscape as John Wick, assassin extraordinaire. Both 2014's John Wick and 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2 were critical and commercial successes, and production is currently underway on the third installment. However, rather than following in its predecessor's footsteps by simply being called John Wick: Chapter 3, Reeves revealed that the third John Wick movie will be officially called John Wick 3: Parabellum. When asked what the Parabellum refers to, Reeves responded:
Prepare for war. It's part of that famous sentence, 'Si vis pacem, para bellum,' which translates as, 'If you want peace, prepare for war.'
Keanu Reeves dropped this latest update while speaking with ComingSoon about his upcoming movie, Siberia. Of course, parabellum is also type of automatic weapon, so considering the kind of world John Wick lives in, that makes this title even more fitting. But going back to Reeves' explanation, John Wick has never been one to shy away from retaliating against those who've done him wrong, and since John Wick: Chapter 2's saw him going on the run, it sounds like our deadly protagonist will be diving into his biggest conflict yet in John Wick 3: Parabellum. Whether he starts it himself or gets dragged into it remains to be seen.
After killing Santino D'Antonio on Continental grounds, which is a big no-no in the assassin community, John Wick was declared excommunicado at the end of John Wick: Chapter 2, thus stripping him of his access to the hotel and underworld resources. Making matters worse, the High Table doubled the bounty that Santino had placed on John's head and offered it globally. After being given a Marker by Winston, who also delayed announcing John's new status for one hour, made a run for it. John Wick 3: Parabellum will see John attempting to escape New York, and Keanu Reeves also revealed during the interview that part of the story sees John seeking out Halle Berry's character, Sofia, for information on the High Table. Methinks those members of the High Table will soon be facing a wave of John Wick-branded retribution.
Along with Sofia, John Wick 3: Parabellum will introduce Angelica Huston's The Director, Asia Kate Dillon's The Adductor, Mark Dacascos' Zero and Jason Mantzoukas' Tick Tock Man, to name a few. As for returning faces, Ian McShane's Winston, Lance Reddick's Charon, Laurence Fishburne's The Bowery King, Ruby Rose's Ares and Common's Cassian will all be returning. Chad Stahelski and Derek Kolstad also reprised their directing and scripting duties, respectively.
John Wick 3: Parabellum hits theaters on May 17, 2019, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates. In the meantime, look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what movies will come out later this year.
