John Wick almost didn’t make it to the big screen. The movie stars Keanu Reeves as John Wick, an assassin who’s as lethal as the Russian boogeyman “Baba Yaga” that was employed by the Russian syndicate. The head of the syndicate sends his son to break into John's home, who proceeds to steal his vintage car and kill his dog. These films dig into the underground world of assassins, while creating a massive franchise and grossing over $580 million so far. The first John Wick film almost didn’t get made, and Reeves almost didn’t get the role of the now-iconic character.
It’s hard to imagine the John Wick franchise without Reeves being attached to these films. The character was originally written to be much older. When the studio was first looking for actors to play the part of the infamous assassin, the creators were looking at older actors like Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford. The producers of the series felt that the character needed to be a man who was in deep retirement, but also needed to be deadly at the same time. Luckily, the movie was able to get made and Reeves secured the role, but how did the actor almost not play John Wick?
Script Was Almost Scrapped
It's crazy to think that the popular John Wick franchise almost didn't even happen. Very early on in the creative process, the creators of the assassin-centric film almost didn't get the script past the studio heads. Reeves was already a household name thanks to his role in The Matrix, but his name really came back to the forefront of people's minds with John Wick. The franchise has also revived R-rated action movies, which seemed to be few and far between when this movie concept became to be in 2014. The director of the film, Chad Stahelski, told Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con that the studio did not want this movie because it wasn't a "date movie."
For those who haven't had the guts to watch this gritty, action flick, John Wick follows Reeves' character after his home was broken into. The home invaders steal his car and kill his dog that was given to him by his late wife. Wick is quickly identified as a famous assassin that seems to be compared to the Russian boogeyman "Baba Yaga." He used to be employed by the Russian crime syndicate who sent the men to Wick's house. The sequel films follow Wick in this underground and dark world of assassins all while creating an iconic action film franchise.
John Wick's Character Was Supposed to Older
Reeves made the character of John Wick famous, but he was not the first pick to play the role. In the original scripts, Wick was supposed to be a much older character. He was going to be a man in his 70s that was well into retirement and enjoying his time alone. It's really hard to imagine that someone almost twice Reeves' age was written and meant to play his most iconic role. During the film's early development stage, older actors were imagined to take on the role of the lethal assassin. Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford were the first actors that came to mind for the creators, and, honestly, who doesn't want to watch these guys take on some serious bad guys?
Derek Kolstad wrote the script for the John Wick films, and when producers first read through it, they thought audiences would love to see Eastwood kick some ass. Producer of the John Wick films, Basil Iwanyk, told AS that there were two names to play this role, and Eastwood and Ford were the only two. It was hard to imagine anyone else who could do the movie justice. However, the underground assassin world was more subversive and an ideal plot for a great action movie. Everything changed for the film when Reeves got a hold of the script.
Keanu Reeves Changed the Creators' Minds
The John Wick franchise has created quite the success over the last seven years, but it was not the creators' first choice to put Reeves in the titular role. The first drafts were meant to focus on an older hitman, but it all changed when Reeves was able to get his hands on the script. As soon he read the story, the actor fell in love with it so much that he knew he had to be a part of the project.
Reeves was so mesmerized by the script and adamant that he would be in the project. Fandom Wire reported that Reeves spent two months re-writing and re-reading the scripts, so it was perfectly crafted for him to play the starring role. He told the studio that he was going to be in the film, but John was going to be 35 and not 75 like they first imagined. It now seems impossible to separate Reeves from the John Wick franchise, and fans of Reeves are glad he fought so hard to land the role.