Scott Rogers, the second unit director and stunt coordinator for “John Wick: Chapter 4,” said Keanu Reeves began training “nine months in advance to develop his driving skills” for the movie. Scenes were then tailored to Reeves, much like John Wick’s suit. Rogers says they worked to “choreograph the sequences around his strengths and abilities” and “started developing a way to shoot it that would more resemble a John Wick fight than a standard car sequence.”
Stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski went ahead and issued a challenge to other actors who do their own stunts:
“I dare you to find anybody, any cast member in Hollywood — and I’m including all the big names — that can drive better than [Reeves]. I’ll throw down the gauntlet! You know the other names I’m throwing it down to, and I bet Keanu can out-drive them all. That’s how much time we put in. No skydiving or base-jumping; I can’t throw that gauntlet for sure. But in a vehicle, he’s amazing. And he puts in the time not just on set — he puts in the pre-lap time.”
Stahelski seems to be alluding to Tom Cruise and his well-known propensity for doing his own stunts for the “Mission: Impossible” movies. Now that’s a crossover we’d love to see. Between Cruise driving off a mountain on a motorcycle and Reeves giving it his all in a car, the movie would not be short on jaw-dropping action.
While we continue to dream, “John Wick: Chapter 4” speeds into theaters on March 24.