Chad Stahelski, director of the ‘John Wick’ franchise, shared his perspective on Eva Longoria’s unexpected financial contribution to the original movie.
Longoria recently acknowledged her $6 million investment in the 2014 film, telling Business Insider thatwhile she still receives checks from the movie’s success, she regrets not investing in the entire franchise, which has since grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
Appearing on The Hollywood Reporter’s It Happened in Hollywood podcast, Stahelski revealed that he and co-director David Leitch were unaware of Longoria’s involvement until John Wick was completed and released in theaters.
“Funny enough, [co-director] Dave [Leitch] and I didn’t know anything about the situation till the movie had already come out,” Stahelski explains.
He recounted the tense financial situation they faced before production began. “About a week before we went into production, we lost $6 million in gap financing. On an $18 million movie, that kills you. We didn’t have any money. A lot of the crew left, we were losing locations, and we were literally 24 hours away from failing. Between Basil [Iwanyk, the film’s producer], myself, Dave, and Keanu [Reeves], everyone deferred payments, wrote checks—everything we had went into it. And still, it wasn’t nearly enough.”
Stahelski expressed immense gratitude for Longoria’s timely investment. “Basil came to us 48 hours before we had to roll, saying, ‘Hey, I found an investor that’s going to cover the gap.’ We didn’t think twice about it and went straight into filming, only to find out nearly a year later that it was Eva Longoria!”
‘John Wick’ is a 2014 American action film directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, starring Keanu Reeves in the title role. The story follows a retired hitman who comes out of retirement after his vintage car is stolen and his dog—a final gift from his deceased wife—is killed.
