Director Chad Stahelski explains why Keanu Reeves’ John Wick almost didn’t happen. Reeves has always been a household name but his resurgence in recent years thanks to the John Wick franchise has turned him into one of the most beloved stars of all time. In addition to returning to some of his most iconic roles, including Ted Logan in Bill & Ted Face the Music and Neo in The Matrix: Resurrections, Reeves helped to kickstart a revival of action films in the vein of the R-rated John Wick.
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For the minority of those who have not seen the first John Wick, the film follows Reeves’ character after men break into his home, steal his vintage car, and kill his dog, the last gift given to him by his late wife. It’s revealed that Wick is a famed assassin, who was compared to the mythical Russian boogeyman called “Baba Yaga,” formerly in the employment of Viggo Tarasov, the head of the Russian crime syndicate. Ironically, Viggo’s son is one of the men who broke into Wick’s home. Subsequent films have explored the underground world of assassins, with the now-iconic franchise grossing upwards of $587 million worldwide so far. That said, 2014’s influential film John Wick almost didn’t get made.
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At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, stuntman turned director Stahelski took part in Collider’s Directors on Directing panel in Hall H. During the event, Stahelski recalled the pitch for the action flick—which originally followed a 75-year-old man before Reeves signed on—that would become his directorial debut. The studio initially rejected Stahelski’s idea for Jon Wick because it wasn’t a “date movie.”
While any film featuring the death of man’s best friend isn’t necessarily a “date movie,” the John Wick franchise has created its own genre of over-the-top action flicks. In addition to John Wick’s (unaccredited) co-director and fellow stuntman David Leitch going on to helm Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and the upcoming Bullet Train, films like 2021’s Nobody replicate the formula of John Wick—which is progressively becoming a universe. Not only is a prequel series, The Continental, in the works, but Len Wiseman is directing a female-centric spinoff, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas.
Where the first John Wick film was made on a budget of under $30 million, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was awarded a &75 million budget. The studio is now very much behind Stahelski, with John Wick: Chapter 4’s trailer seeing Reeves go to war with the High Table on March 23, 2023. At the end of Chapter 3, Wick suffered multiple injuries after being betrayed by Ian McShane’s Winston. Picking up where its predecessor left off, John Wick: Chapter 4 is co-written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch (American Assassin), who are taking over from franchise creator Derek Kolstad. Lionsgate has already confirmed a fifth John Wick film—which plenty of couples are sure to watch on a Friday night.
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