John Wick: Chapter 4 stars Keanu Reynolds and Chad Stahelski discuss whether John Wick owes The Matrix franchise a debt.
Keanu Reeves has been compared to many other characters in The Matrix as well as John Wick. Reeves, Chad Stahelski, and director Chad Stahelski both acknowledge the similarities between the two movies.
In an interview with Wired, Reeves was compared to John Wick in The Matrix. They also discussed whether John Wick owes any debts to the science-fiction movie series for its existence. Reeves responded by saying, “If we’re going to compare them, they both had original ideas with visionary filmmakers.” Stahelski acknowledged that the John Wick franchise would not exist without The Matrix. “No one believed Matrix wouldn’t be amazing. David Leitch, co-director of the first Wick movie, and I stayed on for V For Vendetta as well as Speed Racer. This gave us a decade of Wachowski film school. The John Wicks are certainly children of The Matrix,” Stahelski stated.
The Matrix was an important role for Reeves. He played Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer who secretly worked as Neo. The Matrix also starred Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss. It was a big success, earning four Academy Awards. The film grossed over $467 million worldwide and spawned three sequels in Revolutions, Reloaded, and Resurrections. Stahelski has directed all four movies in the John Wick series. He played Reeves’ stunt double while also coordinating stunts in Revolutions and Reloaded martial arts. Stahelski, who played the role of Tiffany (Moss) in The Matrix, was his first acting credit.
John Wick’s Matrix Reference
The John Wick franchise had previously looked into The Matrix, especially in Chapter 3: Parabellum where an Easter egg was referenced in the sci-fi movie. John is asked by Winston, the Continental Hotel owner, what he needs to bring down the High Table. John replies, “guns, lots and guns,” clearly referring to Neo, as this was the exact line Neo used in preparation for a lobby shootout sequence.
Chapter 4 John Wick re-engages with the High Table to try and secure freedom. The professional hitman is now facing a new enemy, Marquis da Gramont ( Bill Skarsgard). This powerful alliance includes some of John’s old friends-turned-foes. The movie stars Fishburne (Bowery King), Donnie Yen(Caine), and Lance Reddick, (Charon). It was shot in Paris, Berlin, and Osaka. The movie was originally scheduled for release in 2021, but it was delayed due to Reeves’ Resurrections commitments and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chapter 4 is John Wick’s longest installment at 2 hours and 49 minutes. This is 38 minutes more than the Chapter 3 – Parabellum record. Reeves also said that the movie features a possible new partner for John Wick and more complex action scenes than the previous films. Stahelski suggested that a John Wik 5 might be possible, but he decided to not shoot the fourth and fifth installments in the neo-noir crime thriller series together.
John Wick will be back in action when Chapter 4 opens in theaters in March. 24.