David Leitch Reveals Bruce Willis Almost Played John Wick

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As a seasoned gamer and movie buff with over two decades of immersion in the world of action cinema, I must say that the revelation about Bruce Willis being initially slated to play John Wick is a fascinating tidbit that sends my mind racing. If you’d asked me a decade ago, I would have probably laughed at the idea of anyone other than Keanu Reeves embodying the role of John Wick. But now, as I ponder the scenario, it’s not entirely impossible to imagine Willis in the role. After all, he is the man who made Die Hard a Christmas classic and single-handedly saved the holiday season for action junkies like me.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, David Leitch, one of the directors of “John Wick,” shared an unexpected tidbit. Before Keanu Reeves was cast for the action movie, Bruce Willis was initially intended to play the role. Leitch spoke further about the early stages of the “John Wick” series to commemorate the franchise’s 10th anniversary.

Leitch and his collaborator Chad Stahelski aimed to advance their careers by taking on a full-length film directing role. Previously, they were responsible for second-unit direction, stunt coordination, and choreography. The script for what would become John Wick, penned by Derek Kolstad, had been presented to Leitch and Stahelski while Willis was already connected to the project.

Initially, the script was presented to us by our manager, who is now my wife and producer, Kelly McCormick. She had connected us with Basil Iwanyk and Peter Lawson at Basil’s company (Thunder Road) for potential second unit work on that particular script. This was our first encounter with the script, and it seems Bruce Willis may have been involved at that point in time according to what Leitch shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

Following my involvement in the project, I reached out to the duo about directing the second unit since we had a successful collaboration on The Matrix. The duo had pondered over the offer before and expressed interest in leading the team as main directors instead. With my backing, they went on to shape history and became action movie legends known as Leitch and Stahelski.

Ponder for a moment if John Wick was portrayed by Bruce Willis instead of Keanu Reeves. The overall mood of the film would certainly take a different turn. It seems to me that seeing Keanu Reeves embarking on a vengeful spree due to his dog’s demise fits perfectly, but picturing Bruce Willis in the same role is challenging to envision, despite his exceptional skills as an action actor. Let me make it clear: Die Hard is undeniably the greatest Christmas movie ever made, and I am prepared to defend that stance vigorously.

No matter who John Wick might be, the movie still hit the big screen and we adore it. If you can’t get enough of this world, there’s a forthcoming spin-off film titled Ballerina. In this new story, Ana de Armas portrays Eve Macarro, a character in the John Wick universe, as she learns the assassin ways of the Ruska Roma.

Apart from “Ballerina,” another spinoff film is being developed featuring Donnie Yen’s assassin character, and there’s also a new series titled “John Wick: Under the High Table” on the horizon. Notably, a “John Wick” experience will be opening in Las Vegas by year’s end as well.

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2024-11-09 02:32