4 changes Keanu Reeves made to ‘John Wick’: He made it a lot bloodier

Although the character of John Wick is based on the true story of Marcus Luttrell, a former US Navy SEAL, the film and its script underwent several changes before it was released in 2014 and sparked an entire saga with Keanu Reeves.

The Canadian actor who stars in “The Matrix,” “Speed” and “Point Break” (you can watch “Point Break” on ViX for free) has signed on to star in 2014’s “John Wick,” a retired assassin who returns to action when some young men kill his dog and steal his car.

So far the story of “John Wick” has spawned three films and a fourth on the doorstep in 2023, but thanks to Keanu Reeves and the changes he made to the script of the first installment, it is what it is.

Here are some of the most significant changes that ‘John Wick’ went through from screenwriter Derek Kolstad’s conception to before it hit theaters in 2014.

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John Wick was a 75 year old assassin played by another actor

In a preview of the book “They Shouldn’t Have Killed His Dog”, shared by Entertainment Weekly on July 18, 2022, screenwriter Derek Kolstad confessed that the character of John Wick was originally intended for an actor like Clint Eastwood.

Kolstad reports that the lead actor was a 75-year-old man who had been retired for 20 years and had Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford in mind for the role, but because he knew Reeves’ agent, he gave him the script to read.
Keanu saw the potential of the project and agreed to participate, but on the condition that he would modify the script to his liking and make John Wick a retired 35-year-old assassin.

Keanu Reeves changed the title of the film

Another thing different in the first script of “John Wick” was the name of the film, even in the process of filming it was called “Scorn”, but it was changed thanks to the fact that Reeves never called it by its original title.

In a May 23, 2020 interview with ComicBook.com, Derek Kolstad said that the name change was because Keanu had always called her “John Wick” and the people at Lionsgate and marketing professionals liked that name better.

Keanu Reeves personally selected the film’s directors

Since accepting the lead role, Reeves has been heavily involved in the film’s production, and for the action scenes he called on David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, with whom he worked on “The Matrix.”

The stuntmen and stunt choreographers accepted Reeves’ invitation not only to develop the stunts, but also to make their directorial debut with this film.

This was revealed by Keanu to The Hollywood Reporter on October 24, 2014, when he said that he had been in contact with Stahelski and Leitch for years and that for “John Wick” he knew they were the ones to direct.

In the beginning John Wick only killed three characters

In an interview with ComicBook.com on August 22, 2020, director Chad Stahelski revealed that the original script for the 2014 film was much less ugly.

Stahelski said that when he read the script that Reeves sent him, the plot was much more condensed and there were only three deaths, two of which occurred in a car accident.

In the end John Wick shows his ability to kill his enemies in different ways and blows to the head, in such a way that in the film he kills about 80 people and with each sequel his death toll increases.