John Wick has grown into a massive franchise. Massive because, after four films, several spin-offs, series, and more movies are on the way, so it doesn’t seem like the action extravaganza will slow down anytime soon. Of course, ten years ago, this whole thing didn't look like a potential success. The production faced problems, the budget was tight, and the story was rewritten several times, which didn't bode well. However, thanks to the talented creators, the action film Scorn turned into something very entertaining. Yes, Scorn—because that was the original title, but Keanu Reeves kept referring to the movie as John Wick, and everyone liked that name better.
Collider recently revisited the story as the 10th anniversary of the first John Wick film approaches (it was released on October 24, 2014). To mark the occasion, we're preparing a special article (what it will be about is a surprise). The idea for John Wick didn’t come from Keanu Reeves but from the frequently mentioned Derek Kolstad. In the early 2010s, Kolstad was still a rookie, with many of his screenplays being rejected. He came up with a story about a legendary hitman in his 60s or 70s who had retired. However, his peaceful life is disrupted when some burglars steal his car and kill his dog. Kolstad was adamant that the dog's death would be the emotional motivation for the character, as he found the suggestion from studio executives—that the revenge should be fueled by the wife's death—too cliché.
This story was originally titled Scorn, and Kolstad wrote it with Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford in mind, meaning that either of the two legendary actors could have potentially played John Wick. Speaking of John Wick: the protagonist's name was inspired by the author's grandfather, John F. Wick. Additionally, the screenplay was reportedly inspired by the real-life story of a veteran who served in Afghanistan (Marcus Luttrell, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg in the action thriller Lone Survivor). Basil Iwanyk and his production company, Thunder Road, eventually jumped on this screenplay.
Keanu Reeves got in touch with the production through his friend Iwanyk, who was the star's agent. Iwanyk believed that the anti-hero didn't necessarily have to be old to be credible as a living legend; it was sufficient to find a middle-aged actor. Reeves became very enthusiastic as he read the story and could totally relate to the trauma of losing a wife, as he had also lost a love, and even a child. Although Kolstad wanted to move away from the death of the wife as an emotional motivation, it still indirectly played a part in the story, as Daisy, the murdered dog, was practically a memory of Helen, the deceased woman. The actor was so interested in the story and excited about appearing in such an action film that he even got involved in the screenplay development. As a result, many elements that became trademarks of John Wick are also credited to him, including the hero's taciturn nature and his tendency to respond in short sentences and even single words: during their collaboration, they significantly shortened the dialogues.
So, Reeves gradually made this project his own, and according to Kolstad’s recollections, it was because of him that John Wick became the title. "The only reason it was called John Wick is that Keanu kept referring to it as John Wick. In terms of marketing, we thought, wow, that's about $4–5 million worth of free advertising, so it will be called John Wick, not Scorn. Today, I can't even imagine it running under the title Scorn," said the writer. Reeves referred to the film as John Wick; he couldn’t remember the title Scorn. It would be strange if we had bought tickets for Scorn 4 last year, wouldn’t it? In fact, we might not have even bought tickets for Scorn 2 because the first movie might not have been successful with that title.
The John Wick franchise will expand further next year with Ballerina. However, we’re a bit worried about this spinoff, as it’s rumored that Chad Stahelski, the director of the previous films, had to step in during reshoots to whip the action thriller into shape.
