The original John Wick script had the protagonist at a much older age before Keanu Reeves signed on. Reeves is set to reprise the titular role for John Wick: Chapter 4 and John Wick: Chapter 5, once again spearheaded by director Chad Stahelski, having helped establish the action franchise since the first film debuted in 2014. The series has continued to become more and more successful with each new entry, currently sitting at a $584 million global franchise haul with more entries on the way.
The script for the first film was written by Derek Kolstad and was originally called Scorn, before being picked up by Lionsgate and re-tooled to fit Reeves as the lead. The success of the series has led to a number of spinoffs that are currently in the works, including prequel miniseries The Continental, which will follow the origin of Ian McShane's character, Winston Scott, who manages the safe-zone for assassins. Another spinoff in the works is The Ballerina feature film starring Ana de Armas and directed by Underworld's Len Wiseman.
In a new book about the John Wick franchise, titled They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Oral History of John Wick, Gun Fu, and the New Age of Action, franchise producer Basil Iwanyk says (via EW) that the role of John was originally meant for a much older actor. Kolstad's script had Wick as a 75-year-old retired assassin, likened to an older actor like Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford. Still, the producer explains that the tone of the story was the bigger sell, making the age of the actor who played the character less of a factor. Here's Iwanyk's quote:
The lead was a seventy-five-year-old man, twenty-five years after being retired. It was the fun of watching Clint Eastwood kick ass. I thought, Okay, there's probably one or two names you could do this with: Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford. Other than that, I'm not sure how I put this movie together. But the tone of the script for John Wick was subversive and really fun. It has a very clear emotional through line and a great premise for an action movie.
Kolstad said he met with Reeves over the script, and they spent two months on weekends reworking it to fit the actor's age. Reeves told the screenwriter that he wanted to play John Wick at 35 (although the actor was 50 at the time), to which Kolstad agreed, and they set out to make it happen. Since then, John Wick has become a global phenomenon, reigniting Reeves' career and making it one of the most successful action franchises of all time. In one benefit of casting a younger star, Reeves has said he'll continue playing John Wick for "as far as my legs can take me. As far as the audience wants to go."
Interestingly, an older version of John Wick was portrayed in Kolstad's Nobody, starring Bob Odenkirk in a similar role, but not linked (as of yet) to the same world. Odenkirk is only two years older than Reeves, however, making it slightly ironic, but no less effective. FX's The Old Man with Jeff Bridges takes a page from the older assassin playbook, which makes it a kindred spirit to John Wick, as Bridges could easily have taken on the Wick role if Eastwood and Ford were the early inspiration. Regardless, Reeves embodies the role at this point, and at age 58 is still kicking, punching, and shooting with the best of them, which he'll surely prove to audiences when John Wick: Chapter 4 releases on March 24, 2023.
Source: EW
