Latest news with #WickIsPain
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Keanu Reeves Reflects on a Decade of ‘John Wick' With ‘Wick Is Pain' Doc, Insisting 'I Don't Do Stunts, I Do Action'
Wick Is Pain, a new documentary from director Jeffrey Doe, offers an inside look at the early struggles of making the first John Wick, tracking star Keanu Reeves and filmmaker Chad Stahelski for a decade as it goes from being an indie film to becoming a billion dollar franchise. At a special screening of the doc in Santa Monica on Thursday, Reeves and Stahelski joined Doe, producer Erica Lee, writer Derek Kolstad and producer Josh Oreck for a Q&A about the highs and lows depicted the doc. More from The Hollywood Reporter Harrison Ford Is Open to Continuing in 'Yellowstone' Universe After '1923' 'Gilmore Girls' Alum Yanic Truesdale on Why His French 'Étoile' Character Doesn't Have an Accent Sebastian Stan Channeled Clint Eastwood in 'Unforgiven' For 'Thunderbolts*': "The Older Guy That's Been There, Done That" Stahelski noted of the film's title and mentality that goes along with it, 'I think anything hard is supposed to hurt a little bit… anything great takes effort, sometimes effort hurts a little bit.' Reeves echoed that when it came to the months and months of fight training he would go through for each film, when the directed pushed him in workouts he was ready to 'do some more because Wick is pain and we fucking love it.' The star also pointed out that he trains with the film's stunt performers, so 'when we get into the level of choreography and stuff, everyone's been used to being thrown by me. If I do 100 throws, there's fucking six guys who are getting fucking thrown and doing it. So I'm not in that alone, and then just the cinema part of it is that all of the operators are in it with us to capture everything.' Several of the franchise's stuntmen were in the audience at the screening, and as Reeves reflected on his love of working with directors 'who wanted to explore character in action' in Matrix, Point Break and Speed before the John Wick films, he gave much of the credit to those stunt performers. 'I really love being able to do as much as I can, but I don't do stunts. Stunt people do stunts,' he said. 'They're like, 'Look at all those stunts you did' and I'm like, 'Fuck that, [stunt double] Jackson [Spidell] just got hit by a car twice.' And [Stahelski] is like, 'Hmm, maybe we can hit him with two cars,'' as the director joked that was just because they couldn't afford three. 'Anyway yeah I don't do stunts, I do action,' Reeves insisted. During the conversation he also teased Ballerina, the upcoming John Wick spinoff starring Ana de Armas in which he appears. 'It was really cool to have a chance to put the suit on. I've worked with Ana a couple of times and she's a wonderful artist, and she committed to the action,' the star told the crowd. 'I just had like eight days on it, but it was fun to play the role again and I'm excited for people to see the film. It's in the spirit of John Wick and has new characters and opens up some stuff, so hopefully people like it.' Looking back on his decade of playing the hitman, Reeves noted that it was 'a special thing to have something you love chronicled in such a way' with the documentary. 'It's kind of like a picture book. I mean it's like 10 years of our lives and it changed our lives for the better, personally and creatively.' And as for his takeaway from the franchise, after getting initial pushback over the storyline of the first film, Stahelski teased, 'Always kill the dog.' Wick Is Pain is now available on digital. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' Review: Ana de Armas Slays in a Hard-Charging Spinoff That Makes for a Mindless Summer Treat
You've got to love Anjelica Huston, wearing pounds of power jewelry and Cher-strength makeup as a Ruska Roma crime queen known only as 'The Director,' putting a young ballet student through her pirouette paces until her toes have bled clean through her satin pointe shoes. 'Tend to your wounds before you get sepsis and we have to cut off your feet,' the Director intones in a lugubrious Belarusian accent. If the dizzying crescendo of intricately choreographed fight scenes is the main attraction in Ballerina, it's those occasional moments of dry humor that make it a welcome extension of the John Wick universe. Director Len Wiseman and screenwriter Shay Hatten don't try to reinvent the wheel, which turns out to be a good thing in a movie that switches out its protagonist but otherwise is very much of a piece with the previous four films in the high-intensity gun fu franchise, which has grossed north of $1 billion worldwide. More from The Hollywood Reporter Keanu Reeves Applauds Ana de Armas' "Joy for the Action" as She Joins 'John Wick' Universe Keanu Reeves Is a Sad Guardian Angel With a Wild Plan in Aziz Ansari's 'Good Fortune' Trailer Keanu Reeves Reflects on a Decade of 'John Wick' With 'Wick Is Pain' Doc, Insisting "I Don't Do Stunts, I Do Action" If you're worried about missing Keanu Reeves' monotonal delivery as the taciturn hitman, fear not. He stops by just long enough to waste a bunch of would-be killers and drop a few uninflected buzzwords like 'choice,' 'rules' and 'consequences.' John also reconfirms his fidelity to well-tailored black-on-black business attire by showing that outerwear is not a requirement, even in a snow-covered Alpine village with winds coming off a glacial lake. Ably stepping in for Keanu's John is another elite assassin trained by the Ruska Roma, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a character first glimpsed in John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum. In between those punishing ballet classes, Eve is kept busy by chief instructor Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) with shooting and martial arts training until she's taking down guys twice her size on the mats. Her shared heritage with Wick — who was raised by surrogate mother the Director as Jardani Jovonovich — is evident in their matching Latin back tattoos. His reads 'Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat' ('Fortune Favors the Bold'), while hers is 'Lux in Tenebris' ('Light in Darkness'), complemented later with the addition of a winged angel bound to a cross. Like John, she also earns a nickname out of Slavic folklore: He's 'Baba Yaga,' she's 'Kikimora,' a spirit who can be avenger or protector. (I kept wondering who's next: 'Tinky Winky?' 'Chimichanga?') You'd be forgiven for thinking this all sounds like it was struck a little too schematically from the John Wick template. But you really want a radical reimagination of a series that has consistently delivered and has never pretended to be anything more than it is? Many of us have been waiting for de Armas to sink her teeth into a substantial action role since her brief but tantalizing appearance as Cuban CIA agent Paloma in No Time to Die. She gets ample opportunity to make good on that promise here as a hardened but still vulnerable woman, as formidable in brutal mano a mano clashes as she is with a gun — as well as a whole range of ad hoc weaponry, including an ice pick, a grenade belt, a katana sword, a mallet, a TV remote, a firehose, a pair of ice skates and a flamethrower. De Armas followed Reeves' lead by throwing herself into the fight training and doing as many of her own stunts as possible, helping to maintain the adrenaline rush that has always distinguished this series. Hatten keeps the story simple, going back almost to the kind of kill-or-be-killed basics that made the first film, 2014's John Wick, such a solid base on which to build. Whereas John sets out for revenge after thugs kill the dog that was a final gift from his late wife, Eve wants those responsible to pay for the death of her father Javier (David Castañeda), when she was just a child. While both Charon (Lance Reddick in his last screen role) and Winston (Ian McShane) — respectively the concierge and owner of the New York Continental Hotel, home away from home for contract killers — are back, there's mercifully much less of all that self-serious High Table arcana and Blood Oath Markers. Though of course the tattooed switchboard operators at HQ, posting updates on the bounty board, make an appearance or two. Eve's traumatic childhood loss is seen in an exciting opening sequence, in which divers with crossbows emerge from the sea and promptly wipe out guards at a splendid coastal villa. Ushering the young Eve (Victoria Comte) into a hiding place and reminding her she knows the drill, Javier proceeds to off most of the hit team with the quick-thinking skills of a trained killer and explosives expert. He comes close to defeat, when he's overpowered and given a grave choice by a shady figure known as the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). But he regains the upper hand and gets Eve out of there, though not without sustaining a fatal bullet wound. Eve is placed by Winston in the care of the Director, who recognizes the killer instinct forged out of pain and anger as the girl matures. Her first mission is to thwart an abduction plot. She aces the assignment in vintage franchise fashion by neutralizing wave upon wave of Asian gangsters who come at her with agile moves that seem to run the gamut from Muay Thai through Wushu and Ninjutsu to Silat. (Series creators Derek Kolstad and Chad Stahelski have always owed a debt to the fist-and-foot mayhem of The Raid and its sequel.) Unsurprisingly, the setting is a dance club bathed in eye-searing neon and the clash is accompanied by thumping techno music, deftly integrated into Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard's pulse-pounding synth score (along with an occasional whisper of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake). But the moody nightscapes pierced by saturated primary colors that have characterized much of the series give way to a different palette when the action shifts from the Continental in New York and then Prague to the picturesque Austrian village of Hallstatt, which turns out to be a kind of retirement community for killers, presided over by the Chancellor. When an X seared into the wrist of a foiled assassin triggers memories of her father's death, Eve goes to the Director for more intel. She learns that the mark identifies members of a cult who kill both for business and sport and have maintained a truce with the Ruska Roma for centuries. But Eve will not be deterred — neither by the Director's orders nor Winston's advice. It's fun for a change to see a woman at the center of so much death and destruction — Eve seems barely able to step into an establishment without leaving major wreckage and a body pileup in her wake. This is notably the case when she visits the elaborate emporium of high-end arms dealer Frank (an amusing Abraham Popoola), and even more so in a kitschy Hallstatt restaurant, where Eve learns never to trust a beer hall wench. De Armas doesn't make the mistake of looking too composed, or making the vigorous smackdowns look effortless. She sweats and grunts and winces in pain, though it's pretty astonishing how many violent body-slams she can take without breaking her back. Hatten's script throws family conflicts at her, with unexpected relations popping out of the woodwork, and she feels a kinship with Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus), a fugitive from the X cult he married into, who, like Eve's father, wants to give his preteen daughter Ella (Ava McCarthy) a normal life. But the Chancellor doesn't respond well to defections, especially those involving children, whom he regards as his own clay to mold. Not only does he unleash an entire township of killers on Eve, but she has to contend with a lethal emissary of the very pissed Director, too. The fundamental difference between the John Wick films and Ballerina is that John won his freedom and spent four movies trying to escape his dark past, while Eve embraces it, showing no sign of hanging up her assassin's hat in a final scene that clearly suggests a sequel. As a protagonist, Eve doesn't have the droll Zen vibe of Reeves' John, showing her rage in a more obvious death stare, and she loses the tutu early, making the title seem somewhat arbitrary. But de Armas is a magnetic presence with all the right moves, and Wiseman's muscular direction — along with DP Romain Lacourbas' sleek visuals and an unrelenting pace that never lets up on the violence for long — makes for mindless summer action entertainment with a lot of style. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stars Talk L.A Wildfires, Home Rebuilds and What to Do With Your Tesla at EMA Impact Summit
The Environmental Media Association kicked off its ninth annual Impact Summit on Thursday, rolling out a two-day lineup of stars and activists for wide-ranging conversations about the environment. A large focus of the summit's first day was discussing the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires that devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas earlier this year. Jenna Dewan led a conversation about philanthropy and how the city banded together after the fires, while Property Brothers star Drew Scott moderated a panel about rebuilding homes in the destroyed areas. More from The Hollywood Reporter Keanu Reeves Reflects on a Decade of 'John Wick' With 'Wick Is Pain' Doc, Insisting "I Don't Do Stunts, I Do Action" Harrison Ford Is Open to Continuing in 'Yellowstone' Universe After '1923' 'Gilmore Girls' Alum Yanic Truesdale on Why His French 'Étoile' Character Doesn't Have an Accent 'You're rooted in your home, it's your memories, it's everything in your life. It's where you wake up every morning, go to bed every night and it affects every aspect of your life, whether it's work or relationships,' Scott told the audience at the Pendry West Hollywood. 'And we've had that ripped away from us, a lot of families did here in January.' Ben Stapleton, executive director for the U.S. Green Building Council – Los Angeles, noted how 'the world is watching us and seeing as Americans, as Angelenos, how do we respond to the tragedy? How do we do this in a way where we come together? Can we rebuild at scale in a way that can be more resilient and be more sustainable, and can we have a different narrative that the world can come see here for the Olympics, for other events, than what they're seeing coming out of the U.S. right now?' Stapleton continued that immediately after the fire, he was getting flooded with emails and calls from people who lost their homes saying they wanted to rebuild in an environmental way; going with electric over gas was one such suggestion for how to do that. Of choosing to rebuild with the planet in mind, he added, 'it's going to reduce our utility bills long term, it's going to reduce the air pollution in our homes, which is going to reduce our health care costs. The reason we rebuild green is because it's healthier. And ideally, people are getting these homes they don't even know it's green, it's just cheaper, faster, easier. And so we're launching a group purchasing platform to help drive down some of that cost for folks to get access to some of those sustainable materials. We're trying to do the things that we can to help meet people where they're at, including contractor training. People need to know how to rebuild the right way.' Scott also called out contractors who are telling people they need to rebuild with steel, concrete and materials where 'it's basically going to be four times the cost to build your home back. These are people who didn't have the money — they didn't have the insurance or they were underinsured, they can't even afford the build back, let alone something's going to cost four times. You don't need all of that. What you need is the envelope to be more fire retardant. We don't need the old vents that all these old houses have, we don't need exposed eaves especially with your neighbors five feet away. It's going to spread really fast if you have those issues.' Ed Begley Jr., Miranda Cosgrove, Malin Ackerman, Daniella Pineda and Peyton List also took part in conversations throughout the day, and Phil Rosenthal recorded a live version of his Naked Lunch podcast with Kevin Nealon. During the conversation, the pair touched on what to do with their Teslas given Elon Musk's current role in the Trump administration. 'I bought mine in 2012 when it first came out. Why? To protect the environment. Now, do I get rid of that car in solidarity with people who are against what he's doing to the country? Or do I keep that car because it's better for the environment than a gas car?' Rosenthal asked the audience of activists, as several suggested it was best to keep the car. 'I think I'm doing my part by keeping a car from 2012 in the first place, right? I'm not buying a new car, by the way, the tariffs are going to make it terrible for me to buy another car,' he continued, as Nealon deadpanned, 'I have a Tesla, but I am so opposed to Elon it's in the shop now. We're having a gas engine put in it.' Another audience member suggested to put a bumper sticker on the car that would disavow Musk while still keeping the Tesla. 'Now, does that keep the mob from dragging me out of my car and beating me up? It does? So that's all I need, everything's fine,' Rosenthal responded, joking, 'Is this the problem with you people, is that you think a bumper sticker is going to fix the world?' Eli Roth, Sosie Bacon, Lance Bass, Nikki Reed and Jesse Metcalfe are among those taking part in the second day of the summit, sponsored by Toyota. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Henry Cavill-Led Fantasy Remake Releasing Sooner Than Expected
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors If you've been paying attention to just how much and how fast the world of "John Wick" is expanding, you might be worried that filmmaker Chad Stahelski wouldn't have time for anything else. But according to Collider, the man behind "John Wick" is making time for the remake of "Highlander" a lot sooner than we thought. Stahelski says filming could begin as early as this year, with the film releasing sometime in either 2027 or 2028. Read More: Henry Cavill Led Fantasy Remake Confirmed for Amazon Stahelski was making the rounds to promote the new "John Wick" documentary, "Wick Is Pain," when he revealed the news about "Highlander". "If everything works out in the next 24 hours, we'll be shooting sometime in September," Stahelski said. "And in 2027 or 2028, you'll be watching 'Highlander.'" Henry Cavill in "The Witcher". Henry Cavill in "The Witcher". Netflix Granted, we don't know exactly what it is that needs to work out "in the next 24 hours," but regardless it's surprising and encouraging news for the "Highlander" reboot. All it takes is a quick trip to IMDb to see just how many projects Stahelski has in development, and at the top of the pile is "John Wick: Chapter 5". Then there are all of the "Wick" spinoffs that Stahelski is attached to, including the upcoming "Ballerina", Donnie Yen's "Caine", a prequel "John Wick" animated film, and the TV series "John Wick: Under the High Table". In the original 1986 film "Highlander", Christopher Lambert plays Connor MacLeod, a 16th century Scottish clansman who finds out he's immortal when he inexplicably revives after being killed in battle. He is mentored by the noble hearted Ramirez (Sean Connery) who teaches him all he needs to know about being Immortal. In the present day, MacLeod is an antiques dealer living in New York City at the time of The Gathering: the contest between the last few Immortals for The Prize. "Highlander" has enjoyed multiple sequels as well as both TV and film spinoffs over the years, while Stahelski's film will reboot the story altogether. Last year, Stahelski talked to Collider about some of the differences between the original and what he has planned. "We're bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong, and seeing how it goes," Stahelski said. "There's big opportunity for action. There's a chance to play a character that not a lot of people get to play. And it's a bit of a love story, but not how you think." More Movies: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum - Everything We Know So Far 'Naked Gun' Reboot Shares First Look at Pamela Anderson's Femme Fatale
Economic Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
'Wick Is Pain': Keane Reeves, director and producers speak about the making of John Wick
Lionsgate will release 'Wick Is Pain' a documentary about the John Wick franchise. It will be available on demand starting May 9. The documentary features Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski. It traces the franchise's journey from its start as an independent film. The documentary also covers the upcoming spinoff film -Ballerina-. The 'John Wick' franchise is treading a new course in terms of the narrative, and it may not be exactly what fans expect. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads "Wick Is Pain" featuring Keanu Reeves will be available on video-on-demand retailers starting May 9. The documentary explores the making of the "John Wick" franchise and Reeves has now spoken about what went behind the by Jeffrey Dee, the documentary will feature director Chad Stahelski, and producers Basil Iwanyk and Eric Lee along with Reeves. "Wick Is Pain" traces the franchise's journey from its inception as an independent film in 2014 to its current status, including the upcoming spinoff film -Ballerina- starring Ana de Armas, set to release on June 6. Beyond Fest will screen "Wick Is Pain" in Los Angeles on May and others will speak about and provide viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the "John Wick" franchise. The franchise began with the 2014 film. Summit Entertainment initially released the first later acquired the franchise when it took over Summit. The original film centered on John Wick, a retired assassin. He is drawn back into action after an attack by a gangster's subsequent sequel involves more assassins forcing Wick into action. These actions often lead to dire consequences for those who cross him. Lionsgate's announcement highlights the unlikelihood of the franchise's initial John Wick universe has expanded beyond the four films. It now includes the Peacock miniseries " The Continental". Keanu Reeves shared his enthusiasm for the project. "I'm excited to share and be a part of taking fans behind the curtain on the extraordinary journey of making the John Wick films."
