'John Wick' | Before Keanu Reeves, Learn Which Actors Almost Played the Unbeatable Hero on the Big Screen

'John Wick 4: Baba Yaga' has been hailed as the best episode of the killer saga played by Keanu Reeves. It's undeniable that the character has given new life to the star's career now in this new phase at 58 years old. Reeves has already had his share of successes in his filmography, including 'Point Break', 'Speed' and the 'Matrix' franchise, with 'John Wick' joining them in the pantheon of works for which the actor will be forever remembered. And if you think this will be the actor's last appearance in the role, you're very much mistaken. That's because in addition to the fifth film already promised in pre-production, Keanu Reeves and John Wick will appear in the spinoff 'Ballerina', to be starred in by Ana de Armas.

Despite such fame and having served as an adrenaline shot for Keanu Reeves' career, the actor was not the studio's first choice to play the assassin. Here, we will introduce the actors who were considered for the role, before Keanu Reeves said yes to the project. Check out below.

Johnny Depp

The first option to play John Wick on the big screen, believe it or not, was star Johnny Depp, three times nominated for an Oscar. Today, the actor's personal life has overshadowed his professional life, and the report of abuses from his chaotic marriage to Amber Heard cost the actor jobs in franchises like 'Fantastic Beasts' and even in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. But going back to 2014, Depp's name was still quite popular - despite the actor at the time having lived consecutive failures in his career, including 'The Tourist', 'The Rum Diary', 'Dark Shadows' and 'The Lone Ranger'. That is, Depp needed a success, however, he said goodbye to the possibility by turning down the role in 'John Wick', preferring to embark on the science fiction film 'Transcendence', another failure on his record.

Sylvester Stallone

Okay, Stallone is much older. The thing is, the original idea for the character John Wick was for him to be in his 60s. In this way, action star Sylvester Stallone would fit the role like a glove. John Wick even reminds characters that the veteran played in his career, one of the most recent being Jimmy Bobo in 'Bullet to the Head' (2013). Stallone was another one that didn't make it in the role, but he would succeed in pulling out the third film in the 'Expendables' franchise, released the same year as the first John Wick. In 2023, the actor prepares the debut of 'The Expendables 4'.

Jason Statham

Speaking of 'The Expendables', Jason Statham is another veteran of Sylvester Stallone's franchise who was considered for the role of the killer avenging his dog's death. John Wick is exactly the type of movie that Statham likes to do, precisely for this reason having the actor in the role wouldn't be so special, and if he had accepted, the movie might not have become what it was with Keanu Reeves starring. Can you imagine? We could have just one John Wick in the cinemas and nothing more.

Nicolas Cage

Yes, dear reader, the great Nicolas Cage, Oscar winner for 'Leaving Las Vegas', was also eyed for the role of John Wick in the first movie. The problem is that in 2014, Cage had not yet received this new wave of popularity in his career that occurred after the releases of 'Pig' and 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'. That is, in 2014, Cage was suffering from numerous direct-to-video releases, all B-movies, in an era before the popularization of streaming. So, if Cage had been John Wick, the film would most likely have been just another one of these disposable ones in the actor's filmography. In fact, Cage even made a "clone" of John Wick and released it the same year - the movie 'Rage' (Tokarev), in which he plays a man seeking revenge, killing many people.

Bruce Willis

Our beloved Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed with dementia, and retired from the actor career, staying away from the spotlight. The star leaves an incredible legacy full of successes, unforgettable works like 'The Sixth Sense', 'Pulp Fiction', and 'Unbreakable'. His biggest success is indeed the 'Die Hard' franchise, one of the best action films in the history of cinema. Going back to 2014, Willis was also considered for the role of John Wick and would have been a good choice. However, at the time the actor was already making questionable project choices, and ended up releasing 'The Prince', an action movie with John Cusack and Jason Patric, which nobody saw and even fewer heard of.

Kurt Russell

An iconic actor from the 1980s, Kurt Russell is another one who fits the profile of an older John Wick from the original idea. Russell, of course, collects cult works in his filmography, such as 'Escape from New York', 'The Thing', 'Big Trouble in Little China', and 'Tango & Cash'. Recently, the actor was rediscovered by new generations and embarked on the 'Fast & Furious' franchise as Mr. Nobody, and in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2', where he played the villain Ego. But Russell ended up not getting the role and did not release any film that year - preparing for the following year to debut 'The Hateful Eight', from Tarantino, 'Fast & Furious 7', and the western 'Bone Tomahawk'.

Kevin Costner

Ending the list of actors considered for the role of John Wick in the first film, we have the star nominated for an Oscar for best actor, and winner of the Oscar for best director Kevin Costner. Another product of the 80s, Costner is another one who would fit the profile of an older John Wick and would bring a lot of weight to the role. The thing is, most of these actors might not agree to do numerous sequels of the same movie, looking for different roles - since they are established actors. Not that Keanu Reeves isn't, but it happens that Reeves is cooler and more pop. Interestingly, or perhaps not, the same year as the first 'John Wick', Costner released a film exactly in the same style called '3 Days to Kill', written by Luc Besson and directed by McG.