John Wick, with Keanu Reeves as the eponymous hitman, was the unexpectedly perfect action movie when it arrived in theaters three years ago. The mix of elegant gunplay, hints of an elaborate, stylish underworld of hitmen and gangsters, and an unexpectedly emotional story about a man struggling with loss and the cost of his past choices was a huge hit and now, there’s a sequel in theaters today.
Reeves and director Chad Stahelski sat down with Uproxx’s Fandemonium crew to discuss how the sequel came together, what makes it different, and what goes into the gunplay and elaborate action sequences that the series is revered for. Reeves and Stahelski have a long relationship only IMDb obsessives might have known about before: Before Stahelski was directing Reeves, he worked as a stunt coordinator on the Matrix series and even doubled for Reeves in The Matrix Reloaded, before meeting again on the set of 2005’s Constantine. He also coordinated stunts for Reeves’ underrated directorial debut, Man of Tai Chi, which makes for a fascinating double feature with John Wick.
In the video up top, they talk about their past, how Reeves was impressed by Stahelski’s mixing of storytelling and stunts, and just how the Wick series is coming together.
