John Wick: Chapter 4 opened with a bang this Friday with $29.4 million from 3,855 theaters, and is now on its way to $70 million for the weekend debut as it rolls out in the global arena. The fourth installment of the franchise once again features Keanu Reeves as the most feared assassin, Baba Yaga.
Hailed as the most intense and challenging of all John Wick films, the fourth movie delivers massive stunt performances from Reeves and his co-stars. Even director Chad Stahelski admitted that the filming of the action sequences gave him so much stress, especially in the middle of the pandemic era.
John Wick’s Chad Stahelski Breaks Down The Most Stressful Action Scene In The Film
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Chad Stahelski discussed how they got to film one of the most dangerous action scenes in John Wick: Chapter 4:
“We took every precaution we could, but we’re smart enough to know things can go wrong. There isn’t a time when he’s driving that car that I’m not praying to the movie gods, ‘Please let us get this one.’ Then you get your cast members on the cars, and I’ve got to trust twenty or thirty of my top stunt drivers to not hit Keanu and Marko Zaror while they’re running through traffic.”
The Arc de Triomphe fight scene is one of the most notable sights in the film, as fans saw Reeves’ character driving around the circle and trying not to get hit by vehicles. Stahelski confessed to the pressure of supervising every stuntman and driver while making sure Reeves is safe.
The director also revealed the process of how they shot the scene in Paris, France:
“During COVID we went to Paris, and because the whole city was shut down, we got all our aerials, lidar, and photography done on the practicals, and we rebuilt it digitally with the actual Arc, which took eight months of slowly putting it together. The most we could’ve gotten if we shot at the actual Arc was four hours a night, and it just wasn’t enough.”
The fight actually took place at Berlin’s Tegel Airport, and Stahelski revealed that they only added the Arc de Triomphe shots for practical reasons.
John Wick: Chapter 4 Continues To Dominate Worldwide Box Office
As the most highly anticipated installment of the John Wick franchise, Chapter 4 brings a whole new definition to the word action as it featured several standout fight scenes and some of the most revered action stars in the industry. Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, and Marko Zaror set the roof on fire.
Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 4 is the longest film from the franchise to date, clocking in at 2 hours and 49 minutes. It is also certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% score. Despite the franchise wrapping up with the fourth installment, Lionsgate is currently looking into expanding its universe and developing more spin-off series, such as The Continental and Ballerina.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is now showing in theaters worldwide.
Source: Rolling Stone
