As I've said again and again on Twitter and on the site, I absolutely loved John Wick.  Filmmakers Chad Stahelski and David Leitch have crafted a fantastic action thriller that's absolutely worth your time and money.  When I recently hosted a screening in NYC, there were plenty of laughs, gasps, and tons of applause during the incredible action set pieces.  In the film, Keanu Reeves stars as an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.  Trust me, if you like action movies, this is a must see film.  For more on John Wick, watch this trailer, see Evan shoot people in the face, and here's all our previous coverage.

Last week in New York City I sat down with Keanu Reeves for an extended interview.  He talked about how he got involved in the film, script changes, the challenge of shooting the various action sequences, the universal appeal of John Wick and the character motivation, if he'll direct again, if he'd be willing to star in Marvel's Doctor Strange, his hopes for the John Rain limited TV series that he's also doing with Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, future projects including the courtroom drama The Whole Truth and the Eli Roth horror movie Knock Knock, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Note: slight spoilers are discussed in this interview.

john-wick-keanu-reeves
Image via Lionsgate

Keanu Reeves:

  • What it meant to him to get positive buzz from the Fantastic Fest audience.
  • 1:20 – How he got involved.  The character was originally written as a 63-year-old man.
  • 2:50 – Talks about his expectations for the project starting from the directors' pitch for the movie.
  • 4:00 – Describes meeting the Leitch and Stahelski and watching their career.
  • 5:20 – Talks about the challenge of shooting an action sequence in a car in one shot and practicing the nightclub fight day of.
  • 8:00 – Explains the universal appeal of John Wick and the character motivation.
  • 10:00 – Reeves hopes to direct again but says he has to find a story to tell.
  • 10:55 – Doctor Strange talk.  He's wary of a long-term contract but is interested in superhero material if he believes in the script and the director.
  • 13:50 – Talks about his hopes for the Rain limited series.
  • 15:20 – Cites True Detective, House of Cards, and Breaking Bad as quality television.  Says Rain can be a more global show that visits many countries.
  • 17:20 – Talk about future projects including the courtroom drama The Whole Truth and the Eli Roth horror movie Knock Knock.

 

 

john-wick-poster