When John Wick debuted in theaters back in 2014, it wasn’t just the dawn of a new era in action cinema; it was a triumphant return to form for Keanu Reeves. Though Reeves hit the big time Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the ‘90s had seen him emerge as Hollywood’s go-to guy for cutting-edge action. Movies like Point Break, Speed, and The Matrix all brought fresh and exciting ideas to the genre and remain firm favorites among action aficionados the world over. More of the same was expected in the 2000s, but Reeves had other ideas, opting to star in a selection of sports movies, rom-coms and supernatural horror films that rarely found a large audience.
While his occasional dips into sci-fi and comic books with films like A Scanner Darkly and Constantine were intriguing, they didn’t quite match those halcyon hits of the 90s. John Wick changed that. It not only played to Reeves’ talents as an actor, it enhanced his credibility as an action star and banished the memory of the CGI-fueled nightmares that were The Matrix sequels. On the face of it, Reeves’ performance as Wick seems straightforward enough. But looks can be deceiving.
10 John Wick Was A Lot Older In The Original Script
The character of John Wick may appear tailor-made to fit Keanu Reeves’ unique on-screen person, but the film’s writer Derek Kolstad actually penned the original script with a much older actor in mind. That all changed the minute Reeves began to show an interest in the project, of course.
“I wrote John Wick with Paul Newman in my head,” Kolstad told Flickering Myth. “But when Keanu signed on? Damn… he’s been a part of my entire cinematic life. From Youngblood to Bill and Ted’s to Point Break to Speed to Devil’s Advocate to Matrix to Constantine and beyond… I was ecstatic.”
9 Chad Stahelski Was Keanu Reeves' Stunt-Double On The Matrix
In Chad Stahelski, John Wick had the perfect director to steer Keanu Reeves’ performance and the film’s demanding action sequences. The pair had a history dating back to 1996, when Stahelski, then a stunt man, was recruited by fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping to work on The Matrix. He also served as Reeves’ stunt double during the iconic lobby scene.
It was a demanding audition with Stahelski recalling to Vulture how he emerged after an hour-and-a-half "dripping in sweat, having gone through every martial-art combination, kick, flip, tumbling pass". To this day he considers it his "longest and most arduous audition.”
8 Keanu Reeves Was A Risky Pick To Play John Wick
It’s fair to say Reeves’ track record in the years preceding John Wick was patchy, at best. Prior to Wick, he had starred in 47 Ronin, a 3D historical action epic which, despite earning praise for its action sequences and visuals, was slammed by critics for its dull plot.
47 Ronin ended the year among the biggest flops of 2013, making $151 million at the box office, off the back of a $175 million budget. The experience dented Reeves’ box office credibility, but it did inspire him to go back to basics with John Wick, favoring action over complex plotting.
7 It Was Originally Titled Scorn But Keanu Reeves Kept Forgetting The Name
The script for John Wick was originally titled Scorn but that all changed after Keanu Reeves got involved. According to writer Derek Kolstad, Reeves kept referring to the film by the wrong name.
Eventually, producers decided they liked his name better and convinced Kolstad to go along with it. “The only reason it’s called John Wick is that Keanu kept referring to it as John Wick,” he told Comicbook.com. “Marketing was like, ‘Dude, that’s four to five million dollars in free advertising so far, so it’s John Wick instead of “Scorn.’ I can’t imagine it being ‘Scorn’ now,” he added.
6 Keanu Reeves Helped Polish The Script
Derek Kolstad wrote John Wick but Keanu Reeves helped refine it. “Thunder Road brought the script to me with the idea that I would be a part of such a great collaboration,” Reeves told emanuellevy.com. “We all agreed on the potential of the project. I love the role, but you want the whole story, the whole ensemble to come to life.”
Kolstad confirms as much: “He’s incredibly bright and such a hard worker. We spent as much time developing the other characters as we did his. He recognizes that the strength of the storyline lies in even the smallest details.”
5 He Spent Four Months Learning Judo And Ju-Jitsu
While Reeves was well-versed in the demands of action movies, his training for John Wick was the most intensive he had ever undertaken. "On a movie this size and shot in this way, we had to be able to change things as we went along," co-director Chad Stahelski explained in the production notes on cinemareview.com.
"It was essential for him to be proficient in a variety of techniques. He spent four solid months getting in shape, learning judo and jiujitsu.” More specifically, Reeves learned judo along with two distinctive types of ju-jitsu, each with their own demands – Japanese ju-jitsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
4 Keanu Reeves Trained With LA SWAT And US Navy Seals
Keanu Reeves was also put through his paces when it came to handling firearms. For this, co-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch brought in the specialists.
As Stahelski explained to Collider: “Keanu spent four months with the gun coaches and out tactical people from LA SWAT and our Navy Seal friends and then we went through our guys and our concepts at 87Eleven [Stahelski and Leitch’s stunt and second unit directing outfit] and put it all together.” The resulting hyper-realistic, hyper-realized firefights proved to be the cornerstone of the film’s success by helping bring the John Wick character to life.
3 He Also Invented A New Form Of Close Combat
Gun-Fu, the name given to the heady blend of quick-fire martial arts and automatic weaponry made famous in the iconic late 1980s Hong Kong cinema of legendary director John Woo was taken to exciting new heights in John Wick.
This was the next generation of Gun-Fu with Chad Stahelski eager for Keanu to blend “Japanese jiu-jitsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, tactical 3-gun, and standing Judo”. A tough task, Reeves nevertheless set to work under the watchful eye of fight coordinator Jonathan Eusebio. The result is a form of close combat blending firepower and fists at a scarily frenetic, ethereal, almost intoxicating, pace.
2 Keanu Reeves Worked 24/7 On John Wick
Though director Chad Stahelski had collaborated with Keanu Reeves on films like The Matrix before and was familiar with his work ethic on projects, the actor’s dedication to making John Wick as good as it could possibly be nevertheless surprised him. "Keanu was very hands-on," Stahelski explained in the production notes for the film on cinemareview.com.
"He's one of the hardest-working men we've ever come across. He knows everyone's job. He can turn on a camera, he can shoot, he can edit, and he knows writing, character, directing and, obviously, performing. He's always the first on set and the last to leave."
1 John Wick's Suit Was An Essential Part Of The Film's Success
John Wick’s striking signature black suit with its sleek, tailored design and varied shades of black, was the work of Italian designer Luca Mosca. A stark contrast to the suit Reeves donned for The Matrix, the outfit also helped Reeves get into character.
“He gave the clothing so much subtle meaning,” the actor explained to female.com. “All the different shades of black that Luca used gave it a lot of overtones. It’s funereal and it’s priestly. It’s also very chic, but it doesn’t call attention to itself. When I put the suit on, it definitely affects me.”
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