In 2014, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski delivered the now legendary action thriller John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves. The film opened with a mafia punk killing John Wick’s dog, dragging him out of retirement and straight into revenge mode. While the film blew away the studio’s expectations, earning widespread critical acclaim and box office success, it was revealed that another big-name action star was almost cast before Keanu Reeves landed the iconic role.

Bruce Willis was almost cast as John Wick

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Leitch revealed that when he joined the project, Die Hard star Bruce Willis was potentially cast to star. John Wick. He said: “We were first exposed to the script by our manager at the time, Kelly McCormick, who is now my wife and producer. She had introduced us to Basil Iwanyk and Peter Lawson from Basil’s company (Thunder Road) to perhaps do a second job on this script. So that was the first time we read it, and I think Bruce Willis may have been attached at that point.

However, Keanu Reeves approached Stahelski and Leitch, the latter explaining that casting was a long process. He shared: “When Keanu finally got attached, he then brought us the script and said, ‘Hey, guys, would you be interested in this?’ But since we had already laid the groundwork with Basil, we knew that the film was too small for us to make a second unit based on where our careers were.

In the background, Kelly was always championing us as first unit directors, so we knew this was the perfect opportunity for us to reach out and ask Keanu to direct. So we went back to Keanu and said, “Hey, man, this is a little small for us, but what do you think about us doing all this?” And he said, “Yes, please.” Let’s do it. How can we achieve this?

He continued: “It was then a mad rush to organize a pitch at Thunder Road, and we did it over a weekend. We developed our vision of what Derek Kolstad’s screenplay could be. As a second unit director you can’t do that kind of thing, but over the previous couple of years we had taken on other projects and started to understand that process of selling yourself. So if preparation and opportunity make miracles, then this is how we got there. All the stars aligned.

Bruce Willis as John Wick: What Would That Mean?

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Keanu Reeves as John Wick. But Willis’ career makes a strong case in his favor. Sure, he wasn’t quite the age for the role originally offered, but he was closer to Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford, who were also considered for the role. Willis’ stoic vibe and intense screen presence could have highlighted Wick’s deadly, no-nonsense demeanor.

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