The upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to take the franchise's legendary action scenes and set pieces to extreme new heights, according to John Wick himself, the series' star Keanu Reeves. Reeves promises the fim will take not only the action and martial arts to "the next level" with the work of its judo and jiu-jitsu practitioner Dave Camarillo, but Reeves also went full Tom Cruise by getting behind the wheel for a thrilling set-piece through the streets of Paris, surrounded by the iconic architecture of the Arc de Triomphe.
Speaking to Total Film in their latest issue, which has exclusive coverage of John Wick: Chapter 4, the actor explained the lengths to which he had to stretch himself in order to pull off what audiences have now begun to expect from the frantic, bone-crunching action which has become the hallmark of the series, which gave Reeves an unexpected action career renaissance in his 50s:
John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far. They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox. We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy. There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse into-forward 270s, drifting… So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play. John Wick: Chapter 4 is our opus. Oh my god, it’s crazy, man! It’s banana cakes!
According to the stunt crew of the film, which is helmed by Chad Stahelski, a key factor in enhancing the action of Chapter 4 is the introduction of the Hong Kong action legend Donnie Yen, who joins the franchise as a new character called Caine. An ally of Wick, a former assassin, a member of the High Table - oh, and he's blind, if he wasn't cool enough already - Yen brings "master level fighting abilities" to every film he's in, according to stunt coordinator and second unit director Scott Rogers.
"He is not an actor that you have to train for each specific fight. He is a great actor who is also a trained fighter. His ability to enhance the choreography through his own creativity is world class. When you add that to the many years of John Wick training that Keanu Reeves has invested, you end up with something very special," said Rogers.
John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in cinemas worldwide on March 24. You can check out the trailer for the film down below.