Who could have known that when Chad Stahelski teamed back up with Keanu Reeves for a martial arts-inspired revenge film, it would essentially revitalize a forgotten genre? John Wick isn’t just your typical action movie. Set on the relatable principle of killing someone who stomped on your puppy, John Wick finds ways to top itself with each resulting film. The unique mythology presented in the films – and the basis for a new mini-series premiering on Peacock – makes the franchise look unlike anything else out there. But John Wick works because it also sticks to basics.
Stahelski has been extremely vocal about all the moving parts that need to come together to make the franchise work. Consulting action icons like Donnie Yen and Luc Besson add to the grandeur of the film, and the director didn’t stop there. When speaking to Josh Horowitz on his interview podcast Happy, Sad, Confused, Stahelski explained that collaboration with Jackie Chan had a significant impact on him.
“He’s big with constraint,” Stahelski noted on the podcast when talking about putting together action sequences. While many action choreographers may want to lean into what is easy, Stahelski describes Chan as the opposite. He is more interested in seeing the protagonist desperate to get out of any situation they’re in.
“Adding as many obstacles as possible to make it challenging,” Horowitz noted. The director gave an example of a protagonist in the most dire circumstances. Blinded by dust, trapped in the room, and trying to get a prized possession from the villain. Stahelski recalled speaking to the famous stunt performer about liking such a sequence, but asking him how they would pull it off.
“I have no idea, but if we figure it out, it’ll be the best fight in the movie,” Chan would reportedly say.
It could be argued that is the mentality that makes John Wick so different from anything else. The reason the titular character can go one for so many movies of gut-punching, knife-throwing action is because the stakes always get higher. The story has gotten so big that his dog is barely featured in John Wick 4. Stahelski admires Chan’s perspective and implements it in every detail, not just the action.
“Swing big” has become a bit mantra for the former Matrix stunt double. This is how recent films can take place in Paris and get big names to join — even if Jason Mantzoukas was inexplicably absent from the new film. Stahelski shared that by virtue of filming in New York, they got Laurence Fishburne to appear in the film, although The Matrix angle probably didn’t hurt. By swinging for the fences, Stahelski and his team receive an impressive number of “yeses” to things they thought impossible. And even if their ideas become too big to work, they just go to the next best option. This philosophy has led to not just a prolific series, but several spin-offs. Before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were in effect, John Wick was well into the production of a new film entitled Ballerina, which has an optimistic release date of 2024.
Starring Ana de Armas as an assassin named Rooney, Ballerina will answer the question of adding memorable female characters to the world. Like Wick, de Armas’ character will seek revenge after a tragic loss. Reeves is rumored to appear as his character in the film, as well as the late Lance Reddick, who played the beloved Charon.
The aforementioned miniseries, The Continental, will be about what you expect from a show with that title and so much more. Following young Winston in the ‘70s before managing the hotel, The Continental is a three-part series that will function as a trilogy of movies. Sure to delve even deeper into the mythology surrounding not conducting business on the grounds, the episodes also introduce Mel Gibson’s mysterious character. All we know so far about the villain is that the actor was channeling a similarly controversial figure, making it likely that the actor will also take Stahelski’s mantra of “swinging big.”
With these projects slated for premiere, Stahelski has stayed true to his belief. Impressive actors keep joining these franchises, and even Reeves is unsure if retiring John Wick is in his future. In a world where media consumption seems driven by metrics, John Wick continues to impress with its big-scale concepts.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
