John Wick: Chapter 4 is now out in theaters, and if critics’ reactions are any indication, this fourth installment proves the franchise is at the top of its game. Director Chad Stahelski and John Wick star Keanu Reeves have been working together since 2014 to create THE premier action/stunt movie experience for the audience – and it should go without saying that achieving the action feats we’ve seen onscreen each time has come at the cost of the cast and stunt performers all suffering real bumps, scrapes, hits, cuts, and breaks.
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ComicBook.com got to sit down with Keanu Reeves during the John Wick 4 press junket, and one question was just how many accidents actually happen on set while making a John Wick movie.
“Well I mean everyone is pretty tired – but it’s the best kind of tired. It’s like you climbed a mountain now you’re resting; like you finished the game and you won. So in terms of accidents: I made a mistake once – I cut a gentleman’s head open. So that really f*****g sucked (excuse my language). But other than that – oh, one guy got hit by a car. He was in the car, so he had to go to the hospital, but he was okay.”
So there you have it: making a John Wick movie can indeed be a life-threatening experience. Even as John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters we’re seeing a behind-the-scenes moment from set going viral on social media – a video of one stunt performer throwing themselves down an escalator. It’s just one more testament to the top-tier level of stunt action the John Wick team is working at.
Keanu Reeves acknowledges that making a John Wick movie comes at some bodily cost – but he also maintains that the team behind the film actually cares for one another, making all the difference.
“All of this to say: that you do have to take care,” Reeves cautions. “But it’s great that everyone [on set] is watching out for each other. So there’s some bruising and aches and pains, but [imitates official PSA announcement] ‘No humans were harmed in the filming of this motion picture!’”
Right now, John Wick: Chapter 4’s opening weekend is estimated for a box office haul of $70 million domestically and upwards of $100-115 million worldwide. The film already has a franchise-high “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, with some calling it the “best action film of the decade.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is now opening in theaters.
