20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About John Wick
17. John Wick Was Originally Envisioned As An Older Man
It is hard to imagine any other actor in the role of John Wick other than Keanu Reeves. The character's restrained and subtle nature fits Reeves' minimalist acting choices and is in many ways the actor's most iconic role. However, the Point Break lead was not the filmmakers' first choice to take on Wick due to a number of reasons.
As previously stated, Reeves was in something of a career slump, having headlined duds such as The Day The Earth Stood Still and most notably 47 Ronin in 2008 and 2013 respectively, so the performer was seen as box office poison during John Wick's early days in development.
Additionally, writer Derek Kolstad envisioned Wick as an older man in the vein of a more mature Paul Newman. He revealed this in an interview with Flickering Myth, where he mentioned that the iconic actor informed his initial decision to make Wick a man in his 60s.
However, all this changed once Reeves expressed his interest in the role, and Kolstad rewrote the story to fit the actor.