John Wick 3: Parabellum is set to further expand the assassin-filled world of Keanu Reeves’ titular killer, and that includes the introduction of Anjelica Huston as a character who reportedly played an important role in the upbringing of our hero.
The Royal Tenenbaums star plays The Director, a member of the council of crime lords known as The High Table, and in this new photo courtesy of Empire, we see her and John sitting at opposite ends of a table. In the background, you can make out what appear to be two stuffed mammals engaged a confrontation, suggesting that a similar meeting of wills just might be happening in the foreground.
Speaking to Empire, Reeves offered a couple more details on Huston’s character, saying:
“We’re trying to make it that there are different tribes, less nondescript assassins,” Reeves explained. “Anjelica Huston is playing this Roma Ruska character.”
The Director won’t be the only newcomer in the third John Wick who shares some history with our lead. Halle Berry’s character Sofia is also said to have a past with John that reemerges when our hero turns to her for help now that practically the entire global assassin community is on his tail. Berry and Reeves appeared in another photo together just a few days ago, which also featured two new dogs. Director Chad Stahelski recently told Entertainment Weekly that just as John’s late puppy was symbolic of his late wife, her canines are representative of someone she’s lost.
From the sound of things, John Wick 3: Parabellum will be delving quite a bit into the past, with Stahelski previously describing the feature as “a little bit of an origin story,” but after the cliffhanger that the last movie left us on, we’re more concerned about what’s next for the John, and we’ll find out when the film hits theaters on May 17th, 2019.