Keanu Reeves’s John Wick had a furry sidekick in the franchise’s first installment but much to the fans’ heartbreak and disappointment the puppy couldn’t make it out alive, sparking the fandom’s long fight for revenge. Celebrating the franchise’s 10th anniversary, producers David Leitch and Chad Stahelski chatted with Business Insider and shared insider details from the film sets.
They also weighed in on the tragic dog death scene. “We were told, ‘It’s bad luck.’ ‘It’s bad juju,’” Leitch explained. People kept telling him that this would be another Old Yeller which no one would want to watch because of the tragedy, alienating the audience eventually.
“And I’m like, ‘We’re going to execute people at close range; killing the dog is one thing, but what about the brutal massacre of all these human beings? Are they going to be able to accept that?’” he explained. Being fans of genre-focused movies themselves, the producers only aimed to create an authentic genre movie and knew that these “hard-boiled moments” would become memorable for the franchise.
John Wick features Reeves as the legendary assassin who retired to marry the love of his life. However, when thugs stole his prized car and his late wife’s puppy, it prompted Wick (Reeves) to go on a killing spree and quench his thirst for vengeance. So the dog death scene was a turning point for the franchise.
Reeves being a method actor practiced the death scene with a stuffed dog, “crying” and appearing all “beat up” which made the makers rethink their decision to kill the dog and shoot an alternate ending. “Everyone behind the monitors must have thought, ‘Okay, this is the worst idea; these first-time directors are done,’” the producer recalled.
It was The Matrix actor who “stood up” for them and their vision. But Keanu stood up for us. And Basil stood up to the investors, and eventually, they just felt, ‘F— it, let’s see what these guys can do,’” Leitch added. The intuition was proven correct and the franchise became worth $1 billion.
The three blockbuster films, the legacy will continue with projects like From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, set to release in 2025, Peacock’s prequel limited series The Continental and the sequel series John Wick: Under the High Table.
