Exclusive: Keanu Reeves Talks John Wick 3: Parabellum!

During an exclusive interview for the upcoming romantic thriller Siberia, star Keanu Reeves spoke to ComingSoon.net about the upcoming John Wick 3: Parabellum, including the meaning of the new subtitle and Wick’s relationship to Halle Berry’s new character Sofia!

ComingSoon.net: You’re currently shooting “John Wick 3,” some of it on my home turf of New York. To clarify, is it called “Chapter 3” or “Parabellum”?

Keanu Reeves: It’s both! “John Wick 3: Parabellum.”

CS: And what does “Parabellum” refer to?

Reeves: 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.”

CS: I talked to you for the first “John Wick” and I loved it because after they killed that dog you could have atomic bombed whole city blocks and I would have been with you. The second one was enjoyable but the stakes were a little more cerebral, it was more about establishing the world of the Continental. Will the third one have more of an emotional hook to it?

Reeves: I hope so. Each film is very different but in the same kind of world and take. I can’t speak to your subjective experience, but there’s definitely emotion in this piece.

CS: How does Halle’s character enhance Wick, who’s been kind of a lone wolf to this point?

Reeves: Yeah, John Wick is fighting for his life and thinks that Halle Berry’s character has some information for him. They have a past, and they get involved with The High Table, this kind of overlording entity. (laughs)

Angelica Huston, Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dacascos, and Jason Mantzoukas are also starring in the film alongside Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman, and Tiger Hu Chen. Ian McShane, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Ruby Rose are expected to reprise their roles in the sequel, with Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine) reportedly playing the main villain.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run for two reasons… he’s being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life, and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds. The victim was a member of the High Table who ordered the open contract. John should have already been executed, except the Continental’s manager, Winston, has given him a one-hour grace period before he’s ‘Excommunicado’ – membership revoked, banned from all services and cut off from other members. John uses the service industry to stay alive as he fights and kills his way out of New York City.

Once again written by Derek Kolstad with Chad Stahelski returning as director, John Wick 3: Parabellum is set to arrive May 17, 2019.

The world of John Wick will continue to expand as well beyond the third film with the spin-off TV series The Continental in the works at STARZ with acclaimed writer/producer Chris Collins (Sons of Anarchy, The Wire) executive producing; and with the spin-off feature film Ballerina, which follows a child assassin in the world of John Wick.