With "John Wick 4" on the horizon, it's worth taking a look back at the making of the first
three films in the franchise to see how a single action movie spawned an entire legacy.
Keanu Reeves has appeared in plenty of famous films, but his most widely known role is
without a doubt Neo in the "Matrix" series. The Wachowskis' layered universe set new standards for
action movies and gave pop culture one of its most iconic theories about alternate realities. As Neo,
the mystical "One" destined to take down the machines holding humankind hostage,
Reeves established himself as a true action star. That made him the ideal
choice to play one of the world's most lethal hitmen in "John Wick."
"So what do you need? Besides a miracle…" "Guns. Lots of guns."
Beyond Keanu, the "John Wick" and "Matrix" film series have quite a few cast and crew
members in common. The two directors of the first film, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski,
were stuntmen in "The Matrix." The second film in the series, "John Wick: Chapter 2," reunited
Reeves with Laurence Fishburne, who many people know as Neo's mentor Morpheus. Diehard "Matrix"
fans may have caught another cameo as well — Randall Duk Kim, who played the Keymaker in "The
Matrix Reloaded," is a doctor in the first and third "Wick" films. Finally, "John Wick: Chapter
3" features an exchange between John and Winston that fans of "The Matrix" may very well recognize.
"What do you need?" "Guns. Lots of guns."
Keanu Reeves had plenty of creative input on "John Wick," working closely with writer Derek
Kolstad to flesh out his mysterious character. Keeping in mind Reeves' famously generous nature,
it's no surprise that he turned to former crew members from "The Matrix" to help him create a
great action film — specifically, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski.
Though Reeves initially reached out to the two veteran fight choreographers and stuntmen to see
if they would simply design the film's action, he hoped they would direct — and luckily for Reeves,
they were more than happy to take on the challenge. Having worked with Keanu plenty
of times before, Leitch and Stahelski were familiar with both his prowess and his process,
which made stunts and fights on "Wick" much more seamless. Both Leitch and Stahelski have
credited their work on "The Matrix" as an inspiration for "John Wick," as well as a
guiding light for their overall careers. Stahelski told Vulture,
"After 'The Matrix,' I went from an average stunt guy to one of
the biggest choreographers in the business. I started a company that
deals specifically with martial-arts choreography and that’s grown into all
the John Wick movies and everything. 'The Matrix' literally changed the industry."
In the late 80s and early 90s, Keanu Reeves transitioned away from doing goofy comedies like
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," and started doing action films like "Point Break" and "Speed."
Nowadays, he's an experienced stuntman in his own right — he's studied countless fighting techniques
and performed many of his own stunts throughout his storied career. "John Wick" is no exception.
To prepare for "John Wick," Leitch and Stahelski insisted that Reeves not use any of his previous
martial arts knowledge, instead learning entirely new methods of combat for the movie. As a result,
he spent months training with veterans from SWAT teams, as well as former Navy SEALs. Reeves went
on to do a large amount of the stunts seen in "John Wick" and most of them with no double
in "John Wick 2." The 3rd "Wick" contained even more death-defying acts from Reeves,
proving that even as he ages, he's still more than capable of stunning audiences with
his stunt work — and his complete commitment to what has now become one of his signature roles.
The "John Wick" franchise makes some obvious nods to classic action and martial arts movies, but the
films also find inspiration in Greek mythology. In 2022, series director Chad Stahelski told Variety,
"You know, we've always seen John as Odysseus."
Odysseus, of course, is the Greek hero of "The Odyssey" who left home to fight in
the Trojan War and didn't find his way home for twenty years. Like Odysseus,
John has found himself going more than a bit off course, and his adventures have put
him in contact with some mythological figures with memorable personalities.
Charon, played by Lance Reddick, works the front desk of the Continental — and
he has a knack for finding whatever guests might need, be it high-powered weaponry or
a discreet doctor. Charon's name comes straight from Greek mythology: the ancient Charon is the
ferryman of the river Styx, fated to help souls proceed to the afterlife for all of
eternity. The two Charons have more in common than you might see at first glance — both help
people travel through the seedy underbelly of the world, and both accept gold coins
as payment for their services. Much like his mythological counterpart, Charon in the "John
Wick" series is a man of few words and many secrets. How did he come to be part of John's
world of assassins? With any luck, it's a topic to be addressed in a future movie or spin-off.
"And as always… it is a pleasure having you with us again, Mr. Wick."
The "John Wick" franchise wouldn't be what it is today without a massive team of talented people
working together, but the story itself wouldn't exist without Derek Kolstad. Before 2014's "John
Wick" changed his career forever, Kolstad had spent years grinding his way through Hollywood,
trying to make it as a screenwriter. His earliest films include "One in the
Chamber" and "The Package," but selling those did nothing to prepare Kolstad for his future success.
"John Wick" started as a screenplay called "Scorn," but that changed pretty quickly once
Keanu Reeves signed on to play the lead. He convinced Kolstad to change not just
the film's title, but also the name of its main character. John Wick is an undeniably cool name,
but Reeves and Kolstad didn't come up with it at random. No, it's actually
the name of Kolstad's grandfather, who's never seen any of the films.
How do you get an audience to root for a merciless hitman? Aside from casting one
of Hollywood's most beloved actors in the role,
the first "John Wick" movie solved the problem by giving its leading man an adorable costar.
As fans of "John Wick" know, John's wife left him Daisy the beagle after she died. She hoped that
by having something to love and care for, John would be able to hold on to the quiet, peaceful
life that the two of them had built together. John and Daisy have an immediate connection,
but some behind the scenes magic went into making that relationship feel genuine. Reeves had bacon
grease smeared on his face so the puppy wouldn't be able to resist jumping on him and licking him.
What happened to the puppy after "John Wick" wrapped is just as sweet. His name was Andy,
and for a while, he lived at the Animal Actors International farm — but he was
way too cute to stay there for long. Eventually, a family adopted Andy and
renamed him "Wick," so he'll always have a close tie to the movie that made him a star.
There are few actors as dedicated to their craft as Keanu Reeves. After all,
he does most of his own stunts, and that doesn't just apply to his work in the "John
Wick" franchise. When he was filming "The Matrix Resurrections," Reeves jumped off
a building almost two dozen times in his efforts to get the perfect shot for the film.
Reeves is well into his fifties now, but that hasn't stopped him from learning intricate
martial arts maneuvers and moving through lengthy fight sequences. While working on the
original "John Wick" in particular, Reeves went above and beyond what was being asked of him.
One of the film's most complicated scenes involves John battling through an entire nightclub full of
baddies. In the director's commentary on the film, Stahelski let it slip that Reeves had
the flu during his time filming that particular scene. Reeves apparently had a 103-degree fever
over the two days it took to put the entire nightclub sequence together. Even though people
urged him to stop and take a break, Reeves refused, pushing his way through
shot after shot of what would become the film's most successful action set piece.
With so many epic stunts and intense fight scenes, filming any high-octane action movie
can be potentially dangerous — but what happened to actor Michael Nyqvist is on another level.
Nyqvist played Viggo Tarasov in the original "John Wick" film. He's the man who let John
walk out of the criminal underworld and the disappointed father of the
dog killer Iosef who has to be defended against the movie's titular assassin.
"Let us not resort to our baser instincts, and handle this like civilized men, to move o—"
From his imposing presence to his fashion sense, Viggo is a Russian mobster through and through,
but the hat he wears in some scenes may have been less about showing off his style and more
about covering up the aftermath of a terrible on-set injury. While working on the movie,
Nyqvist accidentally got knocked into a window frame so hard that he nearly lost
his ear and had to be rushed to the emergency room. It took 80 stitches,
but a plastic surgeon was able to put Nyqvist back together. Luckily, he was just fine, and the
hat his character wore in the film concealed the stitches while his injury healed. Sadly, though,
Nyqvist passed away from lung cancer three years after "John Wick's" release, at the age of 56.
Michael Nyqvist wasn't the only actor to suffer an injury during the production of
a "John Wick" movie, as Halle Berry also found herself in some serious pain during her time
on set. Berry joined the world of Wick in 2019's "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum"
as Sofia Al-Azwar, a professional killer with a team of terrifying trained dogs.
"Sit." "I was talking to you, John."
Like Keanu Reeves, Berry went all in when it came to training for the film. She went
through a quasi-hitman boot camp, learning a wide range of fighting techniques, gun skills,
and animal handling tips to bring Sofia to life. The Oscar winner also learned some
demanding choreography for her scenes — and during those hours of training and fighting,
Berry broke three of her ribs. Her biggest concern,
however, was that taking time to heal would cause her part to be recast.
Fortunately for all involved, the "Wick" team was able to wait for
Berry to get back into fighting shape, allowing her to go on to become one
of the most memorable supporting talents in the entire franchise.
Keanu Reeves has been an action star for a long time. He first learned kung
fu as Neo in "The Matrix" in 1999 — but almost a decade before that,
he was jumping out of a plane as undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah in "Point Break." Needless
to say, Keanu knows how to throw a punch and perform a stunt — but even more importantly,
he knows how to train and take care of himself while learning new moves.
Understandably, Reeves has needed to adapt the way he trains as the
years have progressed. In the lead up to "The Matrix," he suffered a back injury
and had to have his spine fused. He was still recovering while filming — and in
some behind the scenes footage, he's fighting while wearing a neck brace.
Nowadays, Reeves doesn't have to contend with such a serious injury,
and he's all but perfected his own physical training program. He
has a simple secret to keeping his body in fighting condition: he told Today in 2014,
"You take really cold ice baths. Every night."
Keanu Reeves may be the face and name of the "John Wick" franchise, but over the years,
fans have become just as attached to the unique world and mythology of the series
as they have to its main character. For anyone interested in the deeper workings
of the assassin underground, there's never been a better time to be a "John Wick" fan.
"I'm a huge fan, John… Wick… and so far, you haven't disappointed!"
The spin-off TV show "The Continental" will act as a prequel to the first film
while also bringing the world of "John Wick" into a new medium. There's enough going on
at New York's premier hotel for assassins to fuel multiple seasons of television,
but the franchise is also planning an expanded presence on the big screen as well.
The "John Wick" spin-off movie "Ballerina" is still something of a mystery, but it
is known that it will take a deeper look at the murderous ballet troupe introduced in "John Wick:
Chapter 3." Ana De Armas will star as Rooney Brown, a trained killer seeking revenge on the
people who killed her family. John Wick will also be making an appearance in the film, but
how he factors into the plot — or how this movie will impact his own story — remains a mystery.
If you've ever watched a "John Wick" movie and wished you could be part of the action,
you're not alone. Every movie in the series has the hallmarks of a great video game — henchmen,
a boss level, wild shootouts — but sadly,
gamers have had few opportunities to try out some gun-fu for themselves.
"John Wick: Hex" is the only game thus far that has attempted to deliver on
the experience of becoming everyone's favorite gun-slinging hitman. Developed by Bithell Games,
"Hex" is a top-down tactical strategy game that has players leading John
through one group of armed guards after another. Because it's a strategy game,
"Hex" moves a bit slower than a typical "John Wick" action scene, unfortunately, and it
ultimately doesn't quite manage to translate John's experiences into a playable format.
"Yeah… not really."
Luckily, there's still a strong possibility that fans are eventually going to get the "John Wick"
game they deserve. During an earnings call in late 2022, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer
indicated that the company is very interested in producing a major AAA game based on the "John
Wick" franchise. There are no concrete plans for a game just yet, but the company seems interested in
finding a developer worthy of the IP. Considering how many more "John Wick" spin-offs Lionsgate
has in the works, they clearly don't intend on slowing down with the franchise any time soon.