Though hardcore fans may have seen the John
Wick movies countless times and combed through them for references, fun facts, and more,
the mysterious world of everyone's favorite dog-loving assassin still holds plenty of
secrets. Thanks to the incredibly detailed world of
the John Wick films, from John's intense backstory as a hitman nicknamed "Baba Yaga" to the hotel
that caters to some of the world's deadliest assassins, many fans might have assumed that
the first film was based on a novel and adapted for film. Believe it or not, John Wick was actually
a completely original script. In 2012, writer Derek Kolstad developed the
idea and started work on a project originally entitled Scorn, about a man who trafficked
in evil and finally gets some sort of redemption, only to lose it. "You know the consequences." "I'm not that guy anymore." After a few studios showed interest, he sold
it to Thunder Road Pictures because they promised to make the movie as soon as possible. Though Wick was originally written as a much
older retired hitman, Kolstad revised the script once Thunder Road purchased the rights,
aided by Keanu Reeves. The film might not have been based on a comic
book or video game, but the character of John Wick has made the leap to both. Dynamite Entertainment has since released
a comic book series about Wick's origin story, and gamers can get into Wick's mindset by
playing a VR shooter called John Wick Chronicles. For the full effect, though, make sure you
play a few hours of Nintendogs first. From Bill & Ted to Speed, Keanu Reeves has
appeared in an impressive roster of famous films. In 1999, however, he stepped into what was
considered to be a career-defining role as Neo in the Matrix film series, a trilogy and
universe that set new standards for action films and gave pop culture one of its best
theories about alternate realities. As the techno-mystical Neo, "The One" who
can control the synthetic reality of the Matrix, Reeves was cemented as a true action star,
which made him an ideal star for the story of the assassin that all the other assassins
are afraid of. "I once saw him kill three men in a bar…
with a pencil." Beyond sharing a lead actor, The Matrix and
the John Wick film series have quite a lot in common. The two directors on the first film, David
Leitch and Chad Stahelski, did stunts on The Matrix, and Stahelski was actually Reeves'
stuntman. John Wick: Chapter 2 reunited Reeves with
Laurence Fishburne, who appeared as Neo's mentor Morpheus in The Matrix, and die hard
fans may have caught another connection as well; Randall Duk Kim, who played the Keymaker
in The Matrix Reloaded, showed up as a doctor in the first John Wick film. Keanu Reeves had plenty of input on the film,
and worked closely with writer David Kolstad, who said Reeves was closely attuned to even
the smallest details that could help flesh out his otherwise mysterious character. With that in mind, it's no surprise that he
turned to former crew members from The Matrix to help him create a great action film, not
just for stunts, but for the directors. Though Reeves initially reached out to David
Leitch and Chad Stahelski to see if the two veteran fight choreographers would simply
design the film's action, he hoped they would direct. Luckily for Reeves, they were more than happy
to take on the challenge. Having worked with Reeves extensively in the
past, Leitch and Stahelski were familiar with both his prowess and his process, making stunts
and fights on John Wick that 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 has said that not just John Wick,
but most films he's worked on wouldn't exist without The Matrix, and both directors have
said that watching Lana and Lilly Wachowski work was a master class in directing action
that still had an emotional core. Throughout his career, Keanu Reeves has become
an experienced stuntman in his own right, learning countless forms of fighting and performing
many of his own stunts. John Wick is no exception. To prepare for the role, Reeves spent months
training with veterans from SWAT teams as well as former Navy SEALs. This was largely due to Leitch and Stahelski's
insistence that the star learn entirely new methods of fighting for the film rather than
relying on his previous martial arts experience. 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 Chapter 2, where
the stunts and fights far surpassed the first film, upping the ante for Reeves as well as
for loyal viewers. Early footage from John Wick 3 shows even
more death-defying action, proving that even as he ages, he's still more than capable of
stunning audiences with his stunt work. Actors sidelining as producers isn't uncommon,
but one of the producers responsible for John Wick's arrival into movie theaters might still
come as a surprise to most fans. According to the DVD commentary, Eva Longoria,
best known for her role on Desperate Housewives as well as her various modeling contracts,
is accredited producer on the first Wick film. Leitch and Stahelski both noted that they've
never met her, but they're grateful to her for "writing a check." "Denomination?" "Seven million." "Processing, please hold." Whether you knew it or not, we have Longoria
to thank for funding one of the century's best action movies. Leitch and Stahelski obviously drew from their
experience working on other action films, but John Wick also drew its unique tone from
everything from classic action movies to horror novels. The two directors cited several direct influences
on the film, which ranged from the classic Clint Eastwood Western The Good, The Bad and
the Ugly to crime films like Point Blank and foreign releases like The Killer, directed
by Hong Kong action auteur John Woo. Interestingly, while the film has the feeling
of a neo-noir thriller, the directors have said that there wasn't a lot of noir influence
on John Wick. Instead, they invoked directors like Sergio
Leone and Akira Kurosawa instead. Kurosawa in particular, well known for incredibly
influential samurai films like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Throne of Blood comes up quite
frequently when the two discuss the first film in the series. Beyond Kurosawa, Leitch and Stahelski have
also mentioned looking to classic action stars and directors from the 1970s and 1980s for
inspiration, but their world-building was influenced by something outside of film. Writer Derek Kolstad mentioned Stephen King
as a huge influence, especially to show how far a broken man will go, a common theme in
King's many horror novels. Even though Stahelski and Leitch technically
co-directed the first John Wick film, the rules of the Director's Guild of America meant
that only Stahelski could be credited as the director, while Leitch was instead listed
among the film's producers. Though the two clearly maintained a good professional
relationship, they parted ways for the second film, and Stahelski went on to direct John
Wick Chapter 2 as well as John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum by himself. Meanwhile, Leitch embarked on an incredibly
lucrative career of his own. The same year Stahelski helmed John Wick 2,
Leitch directed Atomic Blonde, an action thriller starring Charlize Theron that also immediately
became famous for its incredible action set pieces, especially its signature one-take
fight in a stairwell. After that, Leitch took the reins on Deadpool
2, the second outing for Ryan Reynolds' foul-mouthed mercenary, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs
and Shaw. Clearly, his departure from John Wick didn't
hurt this stuntman-turned-director one bit, and he also stays in touch with Stahelski
to help with ideas in an advisory role. It's fortunate for the John Wick series that
it's been able to retain most of the creative team throughout all of the movies, especially
director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad, both of whom have been working on Wick since
the very beginning. It's clear that there's plenty of material
to mine from the John Wick universe, and Stahelski, along with plenty of audience members, hopes
that the series goes on for quite some time. Stahelski noted that Reeves was heavily responsible
for the story behind his character, and said that he would happily spend the rest of his
career existing within John Wick's dangerous, violent world, adding, "I enjoy making these movies because there's
no limit. We create our own mythology." Considering the success Stahelski has enjoyed
with the Wick franchise thus far, it's certainly understandable that he'd be content to keep
telling this seamlessly endless story. One of the many things that fans love about
the John Wick series is the careful and detailed world in which the main character lives and
kills, which is full of small details without being obvious or clichéd. Throughout most of the first film, audiences
are actually unaware of Wick's past until other criminals realize that one of the most
dangerous hitmen alive is coming out of "retirement." "People keep asking if I'm back, and I haven't
really had an answer… but now yeah, I'm thinking I'm back." It isn't until he returns to the Continental,
the heart of this underground world, to begin seeking his revenge, that the world-building
truly begins in earnest. In interviews, Leitch and Stahelski have divulged
plenty of details about the world of the film, including little ones that fans may not have
caught during a casual viewing. One such detail is that no "innocents" die
in the John Wick series, which includes police officers, and not only are police officers
spared by the assassins, they have their own underground which works in tandem with the
criminal underground, and each side essentially leaves the other alone to do their job. "You, uh, working again?" "No, just sorting some stuff out." All in all, it's pretty sophisticated for
a worldwide crime syndicate responsible for brutal murders. Yet another perfect example of world-building
in the John Wick series is the use of the coins, which hitmen like Wick can use as currency
for everything from a hotel room to a well-stirred cocktail or discrete dead body disposal. Since these prices seem fairly inconsistent,
to say the least, fans have worked tirelessly to try and figure out exactly how the gold
coin-based economy actually works within the criminal underground. "Hey Harry… you keen on earning a coin?" Some experts have even weighed in to say that
this is fairly realistic when it comes to organized crime, while others have speculated
that by pricing everything at the same point, the Continental prevents assassins from overstaying
their welcome at the hotel, forcing them to use it as a simple stop during their missions. As far as the directors are concerned, their
view is that while the pricing is all over the place, it also doesn't matter, because
that's not really what the coins are about. Leitch and Stahelski have said that they're
essentially "business cards" that allow point of entry as well as indicating that the coin-holder
is "in the know." Wondering about the currency value is, ultimately,
missing the point. It's about the custom, not about getting change
back for your closet full of AK-47s. The hotel in the films, the Continental, is
shrouded in mystery. There are a few very important, very clear
rules, including the use of the gold coins and the absolute prohibition of killing on
the grounds… "And the Continental?" "You killed a man on company grounds, Jonathan,
you leave me no choice but to declare you excommunicado." .... but naturally, fans want to know a whole
lot more about how this place works. Luckily, the minds behind John Wick, including
star Keanu Reeves, are working on a new part of their world that might explain some long-standing
mysteries about the hotel, its guests, and its history. In early 2018, it was announced that Starz
would be developing a television series based on the John Wick universe called The Continental
which would, as the name implies, focus on the hotel. Reeves is listed as an executive producer
on the project, and executives from the network told fans they shouldn't rule out seeing him
appear on the show as well. Writer Derek Kolstad will also be working
on the show alongside Leitch and Stahelski, lending added credibility to a project we're
already excited about. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
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first pencil in a bar second a damn book in library