Bruce Willis is back as retired government operative Frank Moses along with John Malkovich and Helen Mirren as his fellow aging but still lethal colleagues Marvin and Victoria, respectively, and Mary Louise Parker as his game civilian lady love Sarah in RED 2, the sequel to the 2010 action-comedy that was a box office smash around the world.

The movie won’t hit theater screens until this summer, but Summit Entertainment has nonetheless released the first teaser trailer. You can watch it here below.

Joining the action this time around are Oscar winners Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins and Byung-hun Lee of I Saw the Devil and the G.I. Joe movies. It looks like once again Frank’s peaceful retired existence is being interrupted by a ton of globe-trotting mayhem and dodging multiple assassination attempts. Thus the time has come for Mirren, also an Oscar honoree, to break out the heavy artillery and Malkovich (MALKOVICH!!) to indulge in some of that crowd-pleasing loony schtick that made his character such a hoot to watch in the original.

Sequels rarely live up to their originals in terms of storytelling evolution and RED 2 looks to be an amped-up retread of the first movie, which was adapted from the graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer by screenwriters Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber, also returning for the follow-up. Dean Parisot, best known for the sci-fi geek cult classic farce Galaxy Quest, takes over directing duties from previous helmer Robert Schwentke. Bigger may not always equal better, but I’d pay good money any day to see Willis and Malkovich bicker and blast bad guys and that grand dame of British drama, the eternally beautiful Helen Mirren, playing a dignified Soldier of Fortune magazine centerfold model with that indistinguishable class and wit of hers.

RED 2 opens on August 2, 2013.

Trailer

[Source: Apple via AICN]