There is no denying that the John Wick franchise is one of the most incredible action movie franchises in recent times. The Keanu Reeves-starrer movies bring a lot of remarkable action sequences to the table and attract many global audiences for the movie series.
Reeves, for the most part, performs his own struts in the action-infested franchise, and as impossible as those sequences might feel on screen, Reeves has been constantly in the go-to mode to shoot them. But oddly enough, a French romantic comedy inspired an iconic action sequence in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Making of a Grand Action Sequence
Keanu Reeves’ John Wick has the pass to visit any country to have a fight, in John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski took the viewers to Paris for the iconic hour-long action sequence. However, the incredible sequence owes its due to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 French classic Amélie. Stahelski has been a fan of the Audrey Tautou-starrer movie and revisited the location of the French movie. Sacré-Coeur Basilica was the location where 222 stone steps to the left of the church were located and the very sight of it intrigued Stahelski to shoot the final battle in there.
“You never saw three stunt guys smile faster when we saw those stairs. Everybody instantly knew what we were going to do. There was no verbal communication. It was just big smiles,” Stahelski said.
The legacy of Amélie is awe-inspiring, the highly colorful movie resonating with a character on the path of a killing spree is unfathomably engrossing. The rom-com has had a wide global reception while receiving five Oscar nominations.
Keanu Reeves Ranks Sacré-Coeur Staircase as One of the Hardest to Film
It was Stahelski’s vision to enhance the glory of the John Wick legacy by adding the iconic fight sequence in the $432 million movie. While ranking the hardest action scenes to film, Reeves put the Sacré-Coeur staircase on the top of the list of most difficult movie scenes throughout the franchise. Speaking to Collider The Matrix actor revealed:
“Oh my gosh! [Laughs] Let’s see, the first one that comes to mind was the horse sequence in Chapter 3. I would say, just as the first time, the assault sequence in Chapter 1. I would say the dance party fight in Chapter 2. And I would say probably it’s a tie between the Arc de Triomphe car sequence and the stair sequence in Sacré-Cœur.”
After the success of John Wick 4, Lionsgate has reportedly nodded for a fifth installment to the franchise. Despite his death in the fourth movie, Reeves’ John Wick will return if the project is in the development rollout. As per theories and speculations, Wick has faked his death in the last movie and the chaos of hell would follow the actor again. Meanwhile, Len Wiseman-directed Ana de Armas starrer John Wick spin-off Ballerina is set to hit theaters on 7 June 2024.
Source: The New York Times
