Chad Stahelski Arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere of Lionsgate’s ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’
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John Wick has always stood out, but it wasn’t until John Wick: Chapter 2 that the franchise was fully defined. Led by Keanu Reeves, the film series follows former assassin John Wick, who works to secure his retirement. After his dog is killed by a mobster’s son, the former hitman comes out of retirement to kill anyone who has even a semblance of involvement in his pet’s death. The franchise has since grown into a massive juggernaut, grossing over $1 billion across the four films. John Wick releases also include several spin-offs, some of which are in development, including Ana de Armas’ Ballerina.
In an interview with Screen Rant, director Chad Stahelski talked about the process of turning the first film into a massive franchise. Although they were reserved for the first outing, many of the unique elements of the universe were developed during the planning of John Wick: Chapter Two. Because they didn’t initially expect to be called back for a sequel, Stahelski and Keanu Reeves worked together to craft a truly “weird” setting. Watch his full explanation below:
They were like, “Well, how weird can they be, we’ll do what we can, and it’s probably only good for one more.” They gave us a pretty long leash. And then it was like Keanu and I got back together and were like, “Oh! Well, we don’t know what to do.” We got together with Derek Kolstad and #2 was when we all figured it out.
We came up with the idea that there’s a Continental in every city. Derek had the idea for the markers. Then I thought, “Well, screw it. If we’re going to go that deep, let’s do Lord of the Rings and create a fantasy world and start shaping it like that.”…
In terms of the actual story, John Wick 1 was amazing. It’s my favorite, obviously, but it wasn’t until after John Wick 2 that we were asked. Keanu had called and said, “Hey, Lionsgate just called me. They want to do another one.” And I was like, “Really, like that?” He was like, “Yeah.” Eventually, we found out how good it was and Keanu and I came back and said, “OK, we’ll do it, but we’ll do it our way. Just tell us what the amount is and we’ll find it, but you can’t, because we’re going to do this weird thing and we don’t want any oversight.”
John Wick 2 changed the franchise completely
The original film had some of the elements that would define the franchise. The Continental was there, so much so that the restrictive hotel rules were already in place. However, it wasn’t until 2017’s John Wick 2 that Stahelski would introduce the Blood Oath Markers, the other Continentals, and the various international locations Wick would begin to explore. While the first film certainly showcased the stunts and choreography that would reflect the franchise’s uniqueness, other tropes weren’t introduced until later.
Just as Wick takes risks every time he targets a member of the High Table, the director takes a serious risk by introducing so many bizarre elements into the franchise. John Wick was originally just a thriller, so introducing such a complicated criminal underworld risked completely alienating the core audience, who hadn’t come for a Lord of the Rings-type production. However, it was the right decision that set the franchise apart from its contemporaries, such as Taken, The Equalizer, and Jack Reacher.
What the sequel’s changes meant for John Wick
The first film certainly didn’t call for a sequel. It wrapped up its protagonist’s story perfectly and provided a sense of closure that satisfied most viewers. The sequel, however, has transformed a standalone into a cinematic juggernaut. With John Wick: Chapter 5 confirmed and several spinoffs in development, it continues to grow. There’s no end in sight for the rapidly growing universe, necessarily. This all stems from the innovations Stahelski and Reeves introduced in the original sequel.
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