The Original John Wick Was Saved By A Surprising Producer
Today, October 24, marks the 10th anniversary of John Wick, the film that revitalized Keanu Reeves’ career and arguably ranks among the greatest action movies of all time. But few knew how close the project came to never happening, if not for the intervention of actress-turned-filmmaker Eva Longoria.
While speaking with Business Insider, John Wick director Chad Stahelski explained how Longoria saved the film from collapsing when funding for the project was in jeopardy before the start of production.
“We were less than a week out, and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing.” recalled Stahelski. “We were financing independently to get the bond, but one of the investors couldn’t raise the money in time. [Longoria] came to the rescue, and she provided the gap financing, literally less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away.”