John Wick Experience Execs Break Down How They Brought the Franchise to Life

The John Wick Experience opened in Las Vegas earlier this month, offering fans of the action franchise the safest way possible to become part of the high-octane world. With the film series having earned a passionate following in the decade since its debut, not only have the Keanu Reeves-starring films offered audiences high-octane, breakneck action, it’s also offered a mysterious world of assassins operating in plain sight, weaving in out of the real world without detection. There might not be any risk of violent repercussions in the John Wick Experience, but it otherwise feels like you’ve truly become part of that compelling world. The John Wick Experience is now open. 

“We brought on the best of the best to do this, because this was a different style of acting and typically I’m used to dealing with victims and stuff, right? ‘Act like Pennywise is about to eat you or act like a Jigsaw has got you in a trap.’ I always know my weak points, so we definitely called in some support,” creator and producer Jason Egan shared with ComicBook. “So I call my buddy — I’m like, ‘Who do you got that can help train these actors up?’ And they’ve been training for about three weeks now. I mean, wow. They’re really fun … they’re incredible.”

He added, “Your experience is only as good as your worst actor, so that was always so important to find a good cast. That’s why I’m like, these people have so many choices in entertainment in Las Vegas, and that’s why this one technically took two years. It took a year of design and development and about 12 months to build it because this was just an empty warehouse and we got it.”

While fans might be more accustomed to horror or sci-fi worlds being brought to life, part of what makes the John Wick Experience so compelling is that it feels entirely fresh to take an action series into the real world in this way.

“First and foremost, it has to be something that has a big fandom around it,” EVP & Head of Global Products and Experiences at Lionsgate Jenefer Brown explained of what motivated the support of this Experience. “And second, it has to be something that’s organic and authentic to the film. So, in this case, we knew that something really experiential could resonate for the John Wick world. Much like we’re also working on a John Wick AAA video game, right? We think about, what are the organic extensions that fans would want to engage with? And for Wick, the idea of stepping inside the Continental Hotel makes perfect sense. For every franchise, we go through that evaluation. We look at the fandom. We look at the types of extension that might make sense for it and what fans want.”

She continued, “One of the amazing things that we can do is listen to our fans, and so when fans are commenting on social media and asking for things, we pay attention to that. That, in part, weighs in to how we decide the types of things that we’re going to do with the franchise. Everyone that comes through, we really listen to them. There’s a lot of fine-tuning that happens. We do our part in terms of making sure that it feels as close to the world of the films as it can, but also expands it in a way that guests can walk through it and make the story their own. That’s really important to us, too, but as part of making the story their own, we want to make sure that we’re taking all of that feedback and there may be adjustments that we need to make.”

The proper John Wick franchise has earned four films, which has taken the titular assassin to a wide variety of locales and introduced audiences to a wealth of mythology. Egan broke down the process of which components he found to be essential to the John Wick Experience.

“There’s a ton of challenges, but you have to pick all the best parts, you really have to pick all the best parts of the film and the switchboard is iconic. The interaction of your name popping up on a bounty board, bringing in a little bit of shooting, and bringing a big bang at the end of the attraction as well, too,” the producer detailed. “But every attraction has its challenges and it’s just a lot of research and development, design and development, and making sure that you have a good team. What’s funny is a lot of these experiences, and I’m not joking, they will start out on a cocktail napkin at a Denny’s late night. I’ll be feeling really creative, I’m like, ‘Let’s go to Denny’s because that’s the only restaurant that’s not going to kick you out after sitting there for two hours, having coffee and getting refills.’ So I will literally … I can’t tell you how many attractions were designed on a kid’s menu. I’ll get crayons. I don’t care if that’s a creative moment, I’m just like, ‘Oh, my God, let me design this out.’ Then, of course, my team takes it from there.”

The Experience’s devotion to details means it can pay off to take multiple trips through it, as you’ll likely pick up on new details each time.

“The attention to detail is really high, and we’ve also incorporated a lot of Easter eggs for fans. Both from the films that already exist and [From the World of John Wick: Ballerina] that’s coming up in June,” Brown expressed. “So if you look closely, you will see things as you go through the experience, but it’s all done in a way that’s highly immersive and not going to pull you out of it.”

With how much time Egan invested in bringing the project to life, it’s hard to narrow down which component is his favorite, but as far as elements he’s most proud of, he confirmed, “I’m always a big finale fan. There’s a couple of fun bits that we do in the finale and we keep finessing that every time, but there’s so much — the manager is an incredible actor, that interaction with the manager is a fun interaction with the gambling, though. Like I said, to have that Vegas experience, as well, is so important. I can’t really pick out one, but I just love my actors.”

When the attraction was announced, it was described, “The John Wick Experience an approximately 12,000-square-foot ticketed attraction located on the AREA15 campus, a curated collection of best-in-class immersive experiences, interactive attractions, events, and entertainment. The new experience blends immersive theatre and highly themed cinematic environments to create an interactive journey that transcends reality. Guests step through the doors of the Las Vegas Continental and into the fantastical underworld of John Wick, where they navigate a high-stakes adventure as well as visit a themed bar and retail shop open to the general public.”

“Each group of guests will be tasked with specific missions, playing out in unique ways with characters, mythology, and iconography from the Wick universe. They may rub elbows with Continental staff, assassins, crime bosses, or other curious guests like themselves within the relative safety of the Continental. Guests will be drawn into the culture, trusted with secrets, and invited to private areas of the Continental, promising an authentic and compelling action-packed experience.”

The John Wick Experience is now open.