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John Wick: Chapter 2

2017 film directed by Chad Stahelski

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ21451640 ↗
Source-derived summary

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. As the direct sequel to John Wick (2014), it is the second instalment in the John Wick film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, with a supporting cast of Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane. The film's plot follows retired hitman John Wick (Reeves) as he is forced back into his old life to fulfill a blood oath to crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Scamarcio).

Following the box office success of the previous film, Stahelski and the first film's uncredited co-director David Leitch said a sequel film began development in February 2015. Later that same month, Jon Feltheimer confirmed plans for additional John Wick properties to create a media franchise, and announced the return of Kolstad as the sequel's screenwriter. Principal photography began in October 2015 and lasted until early that following year, with filming taking place in Montreal, New Jersey, New York City, and Rome.

John Wick: Chapter 2 had its premiere at the Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017, and was released by Lionsgate in the United States on February 10. The film received acclaim from critics, with praise for the action sequences, direction, editing, visual style, and the performances of the cast, particularly Reeves. It was a commercial success, grossing over $174 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “John Wick: Chapter 2” is 2017 film directed by Chad Stahelski. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through John, Wick and Chapter, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2017, 2014, 2015—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—2017-02-10, 2017-02-16, 2017-02-23—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. For this dossier, John, Wick and Chapter is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “2017 film directed by Chad Stahelski” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q21451640. VIAF identifies the subject as 294148996115859752041. The Library of Congress control number is no2017030279. 5 of 9 selected statements include explicit references; 6 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2017, 2014 and 2015.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “John Wick: Chapter 2”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow John Wick: Chapter 2 primary sources, John Wick: Chapter 2 archive and John research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “John Wick: Chapter 2”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “John Wick: Chapter 2” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.