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At the start of his career, Keanu Reeves wasn’t sure about the action genre. He turned down Platoon, and felt as though his career would turn out differently as a dramatic actor. Speed changed his trajectory, and then The Matrix brought his career to the next level.
As we’ll reveal in the following, Keanu hit a bit of a slump in the 2010s, but John Wick was a major part of his revival.
In the following, we’ll take a look at how Reeves was cast into the film, and which other actors were first considered when the script made the rounds in Hollywood. Keanu’s interest for the character set him apart, but things almost resulted in a completely different way.
Keanu Reeves Was Going Through A Career Slump, And Was Told By His Agent About John Wick
Producer Basil Iwanyk went through quite the process in obtaining the rights to John Wick. There was a lot of hype surrounding the film, but at the start, the vision was a different one.
Keanu was included as the original main character, though a call from his agent put him on the radar.
Basil Iwanyk recalled the process of Keanu first getting linked to the script alongside EW.
“My other best friend in the world, this guy Jimmy Darmody, is an agent at CAA, who at the time represented Keanu,” says producer Iwanyk. “And he said, ‘Do you have any action movies for Keanu Reeves?’ I remember thinking to myself, Keanu is one of the great action stars of the last 25 years — what happened to him?
He continues, “What’s he been doing? And he was directing his movie, Man of Tai Chi, and doing 47 Ronin. We give him the script, we tell him, ‘Clearly, you’re not 75.'”
For Keanu, his reaction was nothing but positive when he would first read the script.
“We all agreed on the potential of the project. It has this character of John Wick, but then you also have the real world, and at the same time this kind of underworld.
“This den of thieves that have this honor and a code. It has this emotional connection with John Wick, who’s grieving, who’s lost the love of his life and has this mythical dark past. And I loved the quest that he goes on to reclaim his life. And the world he moves through to do it.”
Reeves was clearly the right choice, however, there were two other older actors considered for the role.
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Harrison Ford And Clint Eastwood Were The Original Front-Runners For John Wick
The initial script for John Wick was called Scorn, by Derek Kolstad. The film was completely different, with an older actor attached to the lead. Among the names considered to be the star included Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford.
Franchise producer Basil Iwanyk recalled the origins of the script and who was first considered.
“The lead was a seventy-five-year-old man, twenty-five years after being retired. It was the fun of watching Clint Eastwood kick ass. I thought, Okay, there’s probably one or two names you could do this with: Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford.”
“Other than that, I’m not sure how I put this movie together. But the tone of the script for John Wick was subversive and really fun. It has a very clear emotional through line and a great premise for an action movie.”
Ultimately, Keanu Reeves’ interest changed things up significantly, as he made the character his own.
“We had talked internally about actors, but it was Keanu Reeves — a voracious script reader; anything he gets his hands on, he reads — who got his talons into it and made it his own,” says Kolstad.
Keanu’s interest in the film was the tipping point. Four films later, it is clear they made the right decision casting Keanu. However, this begs the question, how many action films does the actor have left?
Is Keanu Reeves Done With Action Films Following The Release Of John Wick 4?
Will John Wick 4 be Keanu’s last action film? It doesn’t seem like it, though the actor is well aware that he doesn’t have as many action films left.
“I mean, I think the film is really epic, and I love playing the role,” he said. “I love the ‘John Wick’ world.”
“I’m not quite there yet, but it got me closer. I’m definitely feelin’ the age.”
Clearly, Keanu is still a major draw with the fans, as there are major projections for the John Wick 4 box office numbers, with some predicting that the franchise will set a global record and $115 million. $70 million is another rumored number predicted for the opening weekend. No matter what the number, it is clear fans still have an interest in the John Wick franchise.
