Bryan Alexander

USA TODAY

In a moment of duress in 2014’s John Wick, Keanu Reeves snarls, “People keep asking if I’m back, and I haven’t really had an answer. But, yeah, I'm thinking I’m back.”

Once-retired assassin John Wick's line not only marked the hit man's re-emergence, but also the stealthy return of Reeves, now 52, who reprises the part in John Wick: Chapter 2 (in theaters Friday).

Reeves' role as a killer with sartorial flair — who utters few words but leaves a massive body count (84) after thugs kill his adorable beagle puppy (a gift from his late wife) and steal his beloved vintage Ford Mustang — propelled the Matrix star back into the Hollywood mix after a decade-long drought.

“Whatever you say about his career, the up and downs, people like Keanu Reeves. They want him to do good," says Chad Stahelski, director of both John Wick films. "Keanu Reeves was the right guy in the right role at the right time with the right suit.”

That comeback didn't begin with a bang. John Wick opened in October 2014 with a forgettable $14 million at the box office. But word of mouth propelled the movie's popularity among action fans, along with 85% favorable reviews from critics on aggregate site RottenTomatoes.com. The film, shot for a lean $20 million budget, went on to earn a healthy $86 million worldwide and continued to grow in stature with home viewing.

“John Wick picked up big time. Action fanboys were saying, 'See this movie,' ” says Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. “After Speed and the Matrix series, people really like Keanu Reeves in this kind of role.”

Stahelski, a stunt coordinator who served as Reeves’ double in the Matrix movies, envisioned Wick as the perfect film for his first directing effort (with co-director David Leitch). Pitching the film in Hollywood proved challenging.

"Imagine essentially two stunt guys wanting to direct an R-rated movie with Keanu Reeves shooting 84 people in the head over a puppy,” says Stahelski. “We were literally shown out of the room three times."

But Wick found theatrical distribution with Lionsgate and earned fan cred after a rabid midnight world premiere at 2014's Fantastic Fest.

By early 2015, Lionsgate had pledged a studio-backed sequel with what Stahelski calls a "slightly bigger" budget — allowing for an increased body count (141) and new foes including Common and Ruby Rose.

Common learned the bruised way that each intricate fight scene required weeks of training, compounded for leading man Reeves. "This dude has just come from fighting all day on camera and now he's fighting with me for hours," says Common. "He physically gives himself."

Chapter 2 is already a hit with critics (95% of them like it on Rotten Tomatoes) but opens amid tough competition from The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker. Bock says even a third-place $20 million opening could show "this is a franchise on the rise with staying power."

Reeves has played a creepy hotel owner in the art-house film TheNeon Demon, a sinister spiritual leader in the dystopian future of The Bad Batch (expected this year) and a doctor specializing in anorexia in the Sundance Film Festival drama To the Bone (acquired by Netflix). But more action looks likely, as Chapter 2 leaves the door wide open for new chapters.

"I can say without pause, I'd do John Wick 3 if asked," says Stahelski. "If my lot in life is doing Keanu Reeves action films for the next five years, I'd be absolutely content."

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