The John Wick franchise director, Chad Stahelski, has disclosed a surprising source of inspiration behind the blockbuster hit movies.
In an interview with /Film’s Vanessa Armstrong, Stahelski revealed the influence of Greek mythology on the development of the John Wick storyline.
Despite its humble beginnings as a story of a man seeking revenge for his dog’s death, the John Wick franchise has now expanded into a massive epic, spanning continents and involving numerous characters and countless fight scenes.
Stahelski explained that the iconic trials that characters like Odysseus and Hercules faced drew him to Greek mythology.
He specifically cited the memorable set pieces of the Golden Fleece, the Minotaur, and the Hydra as inspiration for the action-packed sequences in the John Wick films.
According to Stahelski, these mythical elements may have been separated by centuries, but they still manage to paint a picture of an epic story.
“If you can picture Odysseus in his journey tied to the mast, and the sirens are calling — that’s worldbuilding. That’s not just action, is it? They’re wrapping it and showing you something about him — about fortitude, about resilience, about all this stuff. We’ve taken a lot of cues from that.”
He also shared some insights into how his team tried to some creativity to already existing concepts.
“If you look at the Arc de Triomphe, you’ve seen guys spin cars before, you just haven’t seen it the way we did. You’ve seen Keanu shoot at people, but you haven’t seen it in the middle of five lanes of traffic. You’ve seen a fight scene before, but you haven’t seen it in a club with 40 waterfalls. So we’re constantly trying to change that.”
