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Has it actually been 10 years since “John Wick” debuted in theaters? Time flies once you’re having enjoyable righteously knocking off a ridiculous variety of unhealthy guys for killing your pet. Other than the sheer leisure worth of the franchise, we will additionally thank the crew of screenwriter Derek Kolstad and the director tandem of Chad Stahelski and David Leitch for upping the Hollywood recreation in terms of stunt-heavy motion set items. These gents are consummate craftsmen who know motion films work finest after they’re staged and shot as virtually as doable, so that they gleefully (but fastidiously) put their stunt crew via their paces for our enhanced enjoyment.
Sure, the “John Wick” franchise is gun fetishism at its most knuckleheaded, however the bone-crunching, bullet-whizzing kineticism trumps my ethical objections each time. I do not know what that claims about me personally, however, darn it, these films are simply flat-out irresistible (clearly, on condition that they’ve revamped $1 billion on the international field workplace).
Whereas there’d be no “John Wick” with out the aforementioned trio, the sequence possible would not have turn out to be the high-octane field workplace sensation that it’s right this moment with out Keanu Reeves. The star’s skilled facility for plausible hand-to-hand fight and firearm discharging offers these films a high-octane thrill you would not get with a star who farms out most of his brawling to his stuntman. This being mentioned, it is honest to marvel how these films would possibly’ve performed had the primary “John Wick” gone ahead with one of many greatest motion stars on the planet within the title function.
From John McClane to John Wick?
In a tenth anniversary chat with The Hollywood Reporter, David Leitch revealed that when he was first approached to do second unit work on the movie, none aside from Bruce Willis “would possibly’ve been hooked up on the time.” It is noteworthy that the Thunder Street manufacturing crew of Basil Iwanyk and Peter Lawson had been contemplating a then fifty-something Willis as a substitute of the nine-years-younger Reeves.
What would which have appeared like? Once more, it will’ve been rather less fluid visually what with the entire doubling for Willis – who was bodily recreation in 2012’s “Looper,” however not able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the 87Eleven stunt crew. It could’ve been a really totally different movie, one which Stahelski and Leitch possible would’ve by no means made.
In line with Leitch, Reeves was the right match for the duo, who had been able to step ahead from second-unit directing to make their very own film. Due to the insistence of their supervisor Kelly McCormick (who’s now Leitch’s producing accomplice and spouse), they received their shot and made probably the most of it. The subsequent chapter within the “John Wick” sequence, “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” (starring Ana de Armas), hits theaters June 6, 2025.