Keanu Reeves Helped Charlize Theron Make This Epic Action Film Before John Wick: Chapter 2
The former colleagues worked to make Atomic Blonde as close to John Wick as possible.
Few action films have had their finger on the pulse of movie-goers more than those in Lionsgate's John Wick franchise. Starting out as a low-budget action thriller, the Keanu Reeves-led property has ballooned into one of Hollywood's best-reviewed film franchises in the genre. As such, those behind Atomic Blonde wanted to do whatever they could to replicate the success—even if it meant getting Keanu Reeves to train with Atomic Blonde star Charlize Theron.
In a story once again making the rounds online because of the recent success of John Wick: Chapter 4, we're reminded of the time Reeves would train with Theron during breaks in filming of John Wick: Chapter 2 during principal photography, given it was filming at the same studio as Atomic blonde.
"We would kind of spar with each other," Theron said in an interview with Buzzfeed at the time. "I'd be like, 'Come on, Keanu. Let's take it down.' Shit like that. It was very macho. It was great."
"It was so hard, are you kidding me?" Charlize added. "When [training] first started I was like, 'This is never going to work, I look like Big Bird.'"
Will we ever get a John Wick and Atomic Blonde crossover?
Given franchises and crossovers dominate Hollywood, many are hoping to see the hitmen crossover with one another. While such a project has yet to be teased, Wick director Chad Stahelski has said Theron is one of the actors he'd like to work with most on a film.
"There's a huge list, but just the first thing that came to mindset was Cillian Murphy. I'm a big Peaky Blinders fan. So, you know, I just think Cillian would fit right in," Stahelski said in a recent chat with The Direct. "Colin Farrell is fantastic. Charlize Theron when she did Atomic Blonde, I saw that went, 'Oh my God, I gotta work with this woman. She's awesome. I worked with Michelle Yeoh way back on a commercial years ago, and I've been dying to work with her ever since. I'm such a huge fan."
Ballerina hits theaters on June 7th, 2024 while John Wick: Chapter 4 is now available for purchase wherever movies are sold ahead of its streaming debut later this year. The first three films in the franchise are streaming on Tubi while Atomic Blonde is streaming on Hulu.