The hype train for John Wick: Chapter 2 is picking up steam after the weekend brought the arrival of the first official trailer for the upcoming action sequel. Setting Keanu Reeves‘ cutthroat assassin against newcomers like Common (who will play another expert killer-for-hire), Ruby Rose and Laurence Fishburne along with returning cast like Ian McShane, so far, John Wick 2 looks to be shaping up rather swimmingly. Director Chad Stahelski, who previously worked with Fishburne and Reeves on the Matrix trilogy as a stunt coordinator, is no stranger to sequels, but with naturally high expectations and an intense connection to the original film, he no doubt is committed to making the sequel as high-octane as the first.

I recently spoke with Stahelski in anticipation of John Wick 2 at New York Comic-Con, and during course of our conversation, the discussion turned to Stahelski’s plans for a possible third film—which is already in the works:

“The studio has asked us to put our heads together and see if we can come up with something. Winston’s [McShane] is a big part of the next one, so is Lance Reddick. We’ve got some ideas.”

Reddick and McShane, both stylish, composed men of the Continental, have yet to get in on any serious action in the franchise, as they’ve stayed largely on the sidelines. “Winston is busy running the hotel!” McShane explained with a laugh during this weekend’s New York Comic-Con panel.

But before John Wick 3 takes off, we’ve got John Wick 2 on the horizon. So what can we expect from the upcoming sequel? Just because it’s been a while since we’ve seen John Wick doesn’t mean much time has passed in the world of the assassin with a heart of gold.

“When it came to coming up with a story idea, we had like ten bad ideas, and they we were like, ‘fuck it,’ what would have just happened the next day. Once we stopped worrying about ourselves, it was fun. Is it as good as the first one? I don’t know, that’s personal opinion. Did we go better in some ways? Yes. Did we explore the character more? Yes. It’s better, I think, technically. Is the enjoyment better? Yes, it’s there, but it’s completely different.”

Ruby Rose, who had the Internet buzzing after her arrival on Orange is the New Black last year, has quickly turned to action, set to appear in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and John Wick: Chapter 2 all in the coming year. Speaking on her character, Stahelski revealed:

“I don’t know if she was expecting Wick to be as kooky as it really is, but she’s mute in the movie, she does the whole thing in sign language. She was nervous for the first couple days, and then she just went for it.”

John Wick: Chapter 2 will hit theaters February 10, 2017.