10 Risky Film Moments Directors Thought They'd Lose You

10. The Dog's Death - John Wick

The instigating incident in the John Wick franchise is the death of the titular assassin's (Keanu Reeves) beagle puppy Daisy, who was a parting gift from his late wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan).

And yet despite being such a pivotal aspect of the movie, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch had to fight hard against the studio to include it, amid fears that a dog's death would place an overwhelming dampener on the action flick's entertainment value.

According to writer Derek Kolstad, Lionsgate wanted to cut Daisy out of the film entirely and focus on Wick coming out of retirement.

Stahelski, Leitch, and Kolstad fought the studio throughout production, though it wasn't until the film was test-screened that the trio knew for sure the scene's inclusion wasn't a mistake. Kolstad said:

"There was this pushback and pushback from all different angles until that first screening. We were watching the audience. As soon as the dog died, and seeing their reaction, and then seeing the siege in house, we were like, 'Yep, we were right.'"

Killing off an adorable dog is always a huge risk in any movie, and there was definitely the potential for it to seem emotionally manipulative in a straight-up genre film like this, but thanks to some unexpectedly sensitive direction, it only accentuated Wick's character arc. Kolstad put it perfectly himself:

"Without that dog connection and without that underlying soul and the heartbeat of that character, and also the levity it brings the character and the levity it brings the humor, it was key."