The first teaser for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is here, drawing fans back into the heart-stopping world of well-dressed assassins.
The short clip came out on Tuesday directly from Lionsgate. While it was only 10 seconds long, it went a long way in reigniting fan excitement for the franchise, which has been dormant for nearly two years. According to the teaser, a full-length trailer will follow on Thursday.
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The teaser shows Wick (Keanu Reeves) running through a rainy city, illuminated in neon colors as a calm female voice says “John Wick, excommunicado in three, two, one.” One shot shows another person on the street aiming a gun, while another shows Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) glaring dramatically into the camera.
The teaser also promises a dimly lit manhunt, a motorcycle chase and a whole lot of firepower. The last shot shows Wick prowling through a marble hallway carrying a massive gun before cutting to the title screen. Here, the subtitle — Parabellum — is finally confirmed.
Reeves himself first announced the subtitle in an interview with Coming Soon back in July. The actor explained that was derived from an old Latin adage, Si vis pacem, para bellum — “if you want peace, prepare for war.” However, as more and more promotional material emerged without the subtitle, some doubted whether it would make it into the final cut.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum comes from Derek Kolstad and Chad Stahelski, the same writer and director as the first two installments. John Wick: Chapter 2 left off on a brutal cliffhanger, with the titular hero murdering Santino D’Antonio within the grounds of the Continental Hotel. This breached one of the most cardinal rules of the assassin’s guild Wick is a part of, leaving even his allies no choice but to ex-communicate him from their order.
From the looks of it, the next chapter will pick up right where that one left off, with Wick all on his own and some of the world’s most dangerous killers out to get him. The previous films have already shown that Wick works best alone, but now he will be without any help or infrastructure, unable to purchase weapons and ammunition with his strange gold coins. Worst of all, Wick will not have access to the Continental’s tailor, leaving him without black-on-black three piece suits with Kevlar stitched into them.
The full trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is out on Thursday. The movie hits theaters on May 17, 2019.
