October 23rd 2024.
In the world of action movies, few have left a lasting impact like the John Wick franchise. It's now mentioned in the same breath as legendary films like James Bond and Mission Impossible. But what many people don't know is that the original film almost had a vastly different storyline.
In a recent interview, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch revealed that they had considered letting the puppy in the opening scene live. This choice would have fundamentally changed Keanu Reeves' character and the entire story that we know and love today.
It's hard to believe now, but when John Wick was first released in 2014, the directors were unsure of its success. They were certain it would be sent straight to video with little fanfare. However, to their surprise, the audience quickly bought into the story and even cheered as the action unfolded. "Keanu turned to me and said, 'Hey, I think they like it!'" Stahelski recalled. "We were blown away."
The film opens with Reeves' character, a former hitman, mourning the death of his wife and bonding with the puppy she left him as her final act. When a member of the Russian mob kills the puppy, Reeves dons his iconic black suit and sets out on a bloody quest for revenge. It's a well-known trope in cinema that killing off a dog will elicit a strong emotional response from viewers. In fact, there's even a website dedicated to checking if a dog dies in a movie.
The brilliance of starting the movie this way is that it immediately makes the audience root for the avenging hero. No matter how many moral grey areas he may stray into, viewers will always remember that innocent puppy and wish for the bad guys to get what's coming to them.
But not everyone was on board with this decision. Leitch revealed that they were told it was "bad luck" and "bad juju" to kill a dog on screen. Many believed it would alienate the audience and hurt the film's success. However, Reeves stood by the directors and the original concept, and the rest is history.
John Wick went on to become a surprise box office hit, earning over $86 million on a $20 million budget. This success led to three sequels, a TV miniseries, and even a feature film spinoff and an anime series.
It's safe to say that the decision to let the puppy live would have drastically changed the trajectory of the franchise. And now, ten years later, the John Wick films continue to captivate audiences with their intense action and memorable characters.
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