Hasitha Fernando looks at the story behind John Wick on its 10th anniversary…
Who would have thought that a modestly budgeted hitman flick would completely revitalize the action genre and launch a successful franchise? Yet, here we are, a decade later talking about John Wick’s influence on the film industry as we celebrate its 10th anniversary. But the road that led to its creation was one that was rife with production problems, financial issues and budget constraints. This article explores what went on behind-the-scenes during the making of that movie…
The story was inspired by a real-life incident involving a former Navy Seal
It would surprise many to know that the story of John Wick was actually inspired by a real-life incident that took place in Texas a decade prior. The incident in question concerned former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who authored the book “Lone Survivor” which detailed his Navy SEAL team’s tragic tale in 2005 during “Operation Red Wings” whilst being posted in Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountains of the Kunar province. Rescued by a group of Afghan Pashtun villagers, Luttrell survived the deadly ordeal and returned to the US safely where he was gifted a sweet, yellow Labrador puppy which he named DASY, after the members of his team.
On April 1, 2009, Luttrell was awoken by the sound of a gunshot and saw little DASY dead in the yard from a gunshot wound. He saw four men driving away from the scene and immediately armed himself with two 9mm Beretta pistoles and went after them. Luttrell gave chase through four counties until local law enforcement apprehended him. The criminals taunted the ex-military man and remarked that they had no remorse for their actions. The mean were later sentenced in jail for animal cruelty. In a statement made later, Luttrell expressed that he spared them because he’d already killed enough people in the line of duty already.
A pastiche of famous 80s actioners & silent comedy actors influenced the screenplay
Derek Kolstad was a screenwriter struggling to get his career off the ground during the early 2000s. He even tried churning out multiple spec scripts per year to get the attention of studios but to no avail. In spite of the setbacks Kolstad didn’t give up and even secured a manager to assist him in getting projects and 60 odd screenplays later he finally found a certain degree of success with a few low-budget affairs like 2012’s One in the Chamber and 2013’s The Package. During this time period Kolstad penned a spec script titled Scorn, which was inspired by the Marcus Luttrell incident and “two terrible revenge movies” he’d just watched.
Scorn’s story focused on a mid-60s or 70s hitman named John Wick, who is forced to come back from retirement in order to embrace his former life. Elements such as the Continental, Charon, Winston, John’s long-deceased wife and the underworld gold coins were also present in this early draft. Kolstad fashioned the John Wick character around classic Hollywood actors such as Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman who were well known for playing charismatic tough guy roles in their movies. For the longest time the writer struggled with the incident that acts as the catalyst leading to his character’s comeback into a life of crime. Wanting to avoid the cliché of the killing of the protagonist’s wife or family he was inspired by the Marcus Luttrell incident to include John’s pet being killed instead.
In addition to the aforementioned, Kolstad was also heavily influenced heavily by classic 80s actioners such as Predator, Die Hard and Aliens as well as revenge flicks and neo-noir films like Miller’s Crossing. Kolstad was of the opinion that including moments of levity contributed to the character’s humanity in his story, and he drew from multiple sources such as the works of silent comedy actors like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Roscoe Arbuckle and more contemporary affairs such as Rick & Morty and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Derek Kolstad went for the lowest bidding offered for his script
Wanting to see his spec script actually become a film Derek Kolstad took his agent’s advice and went for the lowest bidding offered for his script, which was by Thunder Road Films. The independent studio headed by Basil Iwanyk was mostly involved with sourcing scripts for major studios like Warner Bros. but Iwanyk desired more creative involvement with his projects and focused on finding potential action films that could be produced on relatively low budgets. Thoroughly fascinated by Kolstad’s spec script Iwanyk made an offer for the script with the promise to start work immediately. The deal was completed by February 2013 and Kolstad began rewriting the script with Iwanyk and producer Erica Lee’s inputs for a period of two months. After retooling the screenplay Iwanyk shared it with his friend who happened to be Keanu Reeves’ talent agent and showed interest in pursuing an action flick on behalf of his client.
Johnny Depp was considered first for the now iconic role of John Wick
In a career that spans four decades Keanu Reeves has starred in a wide variety of genres including sci-fi comedies with the Bill & Ted series and more serious dramas like My Own Private Idaho. But it was with early 1990s actioners that the up-and-coming actor proved himself as a bona fide action star with efforts such as Point Break and Speed. Greater stardom awaited the star with his lead role in the genre bending sci-fi flick The Matrix. Reeves went on to become the highest paid for a single production for reprising the iconic role in its sequels Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. The performer received further acclaim for playing the chain smoking badass John Constantine in 2005’s Constantine.
The next few years, however, saw Reeves going through a period of career doldrums with rom-com The Lake House and the unnecessary remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still underperforming at the box office. But this all changed with the unexpected success of John Wick and its subsequent sequels which have gone on to birth the John Wick-verse. However, it wasn’t Keanu Reeves that the producers wanted for the now iconic role at the very outset… it was Johnny Depp. But I think we can all agree that Reeves was born to play John Wick and not anyone else. Derek Kolstad’s script was further fine-tuned following Reeves’ casting which saw the dialogue being trimmed down and the character’s age altered to suit the actor’s age.
Keanu Reeves personally recommended the directors for the gig
Whilst negotiations were taking place, Reeves sent the Kolstad’s script to Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, both of whom had previously worked with him as stunt coordinators and stunt performers on the production of The Matrix and its subsequent sequels. Reeves recommended the duo and their team over 87Eleven Productions to choreograph or direct the action set pieces in the story as the actor felt that Stahelski and Leitch and their skillset were a good match for the material. While the pair were certainly more than enthused to craft the action sequences they actually wanted to helm the film itself. So, Stahelski and Leitch gained the support of Reeves by pitching their take on the material where John Wick is something of a “boogeyman” in a stylized world of skilled assassins and hired killers. Impressed by their vision Reeves lobbied for them to get the gig and after successful negotiations they nabbed the job.
Keanu Reeves underwent a four-month hardcore training in preparation for the role
As a creative Keanu Reeves has always been known to take his job very seriously and John Wick was no different. To get prepared for this role Reeves underwent four months of hardcore training which included the likes of judo, jujitsu, guns and physical strengthening. The training included spending time with the Los Angeles S.W.A.T team and some of the director’s Navy SEAL friends. During a very short period, Reeves became so adept in tactical training that his instructors deemed that he was almost too good at performing the tasks allotted to him, such as reloading a magazine faster and more effectively than professional would do in real-life combat situations. During an interview, Reeves revealed that he did 90% of his own stunts in the film, which is insane.
Michael Nyqvist suffered a bad injury while shooting the movie
Michael Nyqvist was well-known for his contributions to the small-screen productions of his native country Sweden. Gaining initial popularity for playing police officer Banck in the 1997-1998 Martin Beck TV series, Nyqvist received greater acclaim for his role as Mikael Blomkvist in the critically lauded Millennium series based on author Stieg Larsson’s books. In the years that followed the talented character actor received worldwide recognition for his work in 2004’s Academy Award nominated Swedish film As It Is in Heaven and for 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol where he played devious lead villain Kurt Hendricks. In John Wick he plays a mob boss who is forced to protect his son from the retribution of Keanu Reeves’ titular character. Once while shooting a crucial scene with a stunt performer, Nyqvist received such a bad cut that his ear was partially severed from his head. This resulted in a surgical repair with over eighty stitches and some of the film’s final scenes with Nyqvist had to be re-done to conceal his scar. John Wick was one of Michael Nyqvist’s final acting roles before his untimely death on June 27, 2017.
An ensemble of character actors were cast in the supporting roles
John Wick features an amazing ensemble of cast of character actors embodying supporting roles in the story. These performers were cast on their ability to breathe life to the singular characters crafted by Kolstad and based on their overall affordability. The producers also sought local actors who’d be able to shoot their scenes without having to travel long distances. Ian McShane was one such actor who was both affordable and available locally, but also brought in some much needed gravitas to his role as Winston in the film. The late Lance Reddick was another actor who simply gave it his all as Charon the Hotel Manager in the movie as well as its subsequent sequels. And who can forget the inimitable Willem Dafoe who played John’s confidante and close friend Marcus. Despite the limited screen times of these aforementioned characters they were considered essential pieces of the puzzle that was John Wick’s dark past and the secret underworld of which he was part of.
Funding for John Wick came from very unlikely sources
From the get-go the movie was rife with financial issues which very nearly threatened to derail production. Thunder Road Films didn’t possess the necessary clout or wherewithal to see the project through and its founder Basil Iwanyk was relatively inexperienced when it came to financing films. Lack of financial security delayed production from time to time, and even when financing was secured it was always less than the originally promised sum. To counter these shortfalls Stahelski and Leitch modified scenes and Keanu Reeves put his own money into the project. Majority of the funding came from Michael Witherill of MJW Films, DefyNite Films as well as… actress Eva Longoria!
Box office success, critical acclaim and the birth of a franchise
Made on a relatively low budget of $20 million John Wick became the unexpected sleeper hit of 2014 by raking an impressive $87.7 million at the worldwide box office. The movie also became a major hit with film critics and as of writing boasts an 86% approval rate on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes with its consensus reading: “Stylish, thrilling, and giddily kinetic, John Wick serves as a satisfying return to action for Keanu Reeves – and what looks like it could be the first of a franchise.” Richard Corliss praised Reeves performance by saying it was a fitting role for the actor that benefits from his stoic, taciturn demeanor for a character who conveys intent through actions. Stephanie Zacharek described John Wick as having some of the most beautifully choreographed action set pieces to be put into an American action film in a long time, and critics also praised the stylish world-building and rich mythology introduced through Derek Kolstad’s story and hoped that future movies would explore this singular setting in-depth.
The flick even garnered several accolades for its technical aspects including winning the award for Best Fight at the 2015 Taurus World Stunt Awards, for the sequence where John Wick defends his home invasion with brutal efficiency. The success of the first John Wick movie naturally led to the development of multiple sequels, and in something of a rarity each installment almost outdoes its predecessors on every conceivable level. As of writing, the franchise crossed an impressive $1 billion at the world wide box office with the strong performance of John Wick: Chapter 4 released in 2023.
Spin-offs based on the IP started with the television mini-series The Continental: From the World of John Wick released in 2023 with the Ana de Armas headlined Ballerina due to hit theaters in 2025. To say John Wick had a tremendous impact on the action genre would be an understatement of colossal proportions. The genre as a whole was going through a rough patch with an over reliance on CGI, shaky cam, rapid edits and lazy storytelling before the little sleeper hit showed how things should be done. As a result, movies started emulating the style and approach popularized in John Wick by opting to go for longer takes incorporating stylish cinematography and utilizing in-camera stunt work and practical effects for action set pieces. And John Wick’s influence became abundantly obvious with subsequent releases like Atomic Blonde, Guns Akimbo, Nobody, Extraction and Gunpowder Milkshake.
Similar to how it breathed life back to the action genre, John Wick revitalized the career of Keanu Reeves. Studios also clamored to capitalize on Reeves’ career resurgence by producing sequels to IPs the actor was popularly associated with like The Matrix and Bill & Ted franchises. A long anticipated sequel to 2005’s cult-hit Constantine is also in the works. So, here’s hoping that the John Wick franchise will continue to thrive and Reeves’ career will continue to flourish, so that audiences will get to enjoy some glorious action in the years to come.
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Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
