John Wick: Chapter 4 will stretch the franchise's iconic action set pieces even further, according to its star Keanu Reeves. Not only will it take the martial arts to the "next level" with judo and ju-jitsu practitioner Dave Camarillo, Reeves also boosted his driving skills for a full-throttle setpiece that takes place in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.
"John Wick: Chapter 4 has the most action of any of the [John Wick] films, which is saying a lot," Reeves tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine (opens in new tab), featuring John Wick on the cover. "And it’s more by a good margin. It’s a big show."
The actor adds: "John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far. They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox." A key tool that Reeves was required to hone for Chapter 4 was his stunt driving, with the film set to reintroduce car-fu to the series in show-stopping style. "We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy," Reeves says. "There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse into-forward 270s, drifting… So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play."
Another key to enhancing John Wick: Chapter 4’s stunts is the introduction of Hong Kong action icon Donnie Yen as new character Caine. Far from a cut-and-dry antagonist, he’s an old buddy of Wick’s, and an ex-assassin as well. According to stunt coordinator and second unit director Scott Rogers, Yen "brings 'master level' fighting abilities" to his films, meaning "he is not an actor that you have to train for each specific fight. He is a great actor who is also a trained fighter. His ability to enhance the choreography through his own creativity is world class. When you add that to the many years of John Wick training that Keanu Reeves has invested, you end up with something very special."
The result is something to behold, according to Reeves. "John Wick: Chapter 4 is our opus," he says. "Oh my god, it’s crazy, man! It’s banana cakes!"
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John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in cinemas around the world on March 24. That's just a snippet of our huge interview with Keanu Reeves and the rest of the John Wick team, featured in the new issue of Total Film, which hits stands (and digital devices) this Thursday, February 2. Check out the covers below:
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