Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick’s series, explains why the assassin for Keanu Reeves’ puppy was almost removed from the film’s original version.
The creators of the original John Wick nearly snuffed out the main character in the script his dog.
Chad Stahelski, the John Wick franchise Director was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if Keanu Reeves’ 2014 action thriller could be as successful without having to sacrifice the super-assassin’s dog. Stahelski as well as David Leitch struggled to decide whether the dog in Wick’s film should be removed from the film. “Killing the puppy was written out numerous times before it was recorded back in,” Stahelski said.
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“Ultimately, it’s mythological. The symbolism was there, but we had to be a bit extravagant. The director stated that we’re not trying to preserve realism. “We want viewers to know that we’re having a blast. a laugh. You don’t know how stressed Dave and me were about this. It was a shame that we were putting our lives in jeopardy by using credit cards, mortgages, and other things. Basil Iwanyk, the producer established his business. And then you have that day where you realize we’re doing the whole thing and we’re killing puppies? It was an awful idea that we’d never come back from it.
John Wick Studio Tried to Save the Dog
From the initial John Wick draft Wick’s death has always been prominent. Even as studio executives fought over the dog’s murder, Stahelski and Leitch stood in their stead to prevent them from salvaging the dog, as per John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad. “I think they wanted to be done right. There were instances where the studio] stated”We’ll get rid of the dog. Let’s focus on the assassin getting ready to retire. Kolstad agreed.
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The test audiences eventually reacted to the dog’s death exactly how the John Wick filmmakers expected. It was a major selling point for the studio. “We were watching the crowd,” Kolstad said. Kolstad said, “As soon the dog died and then seeing their reaction, and then seeing the siege inside the house, we were like, yeah, we were right.”
Fans were devastated to see Wick’s dog go, but Wick gained another friend in the form of a pitbull puppy. The pitbull puppy was set to be killed by the end of the initial film. The dog was his new companion in the 2017 film John Wick Chapter 2 and 2019,’s John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The pup became so popular with audiences that he got his own Funko Pop alongside Wick following the release of Chapter 3.
See if the super-assassin and his dog finally find peace when John Wick: Chapter 4 arrives in theaters on March 24.