You directed second unit on “Captain America: Civil War.” What did you learn from working with that group about creating a shared universe?
Heaps. The Russo brothers were so cool to us. I’ve shot second unit for them more than a few times. They were fantastic — incredibly good guys. Look how much they influenced Marvel. Also through working with them, I got to meet [Marvel Studios head] Kevin Feige and [develop a] working relationship.
When I got to do “John Wick,” and we ended up trying to go the next step to “John Wick 2” and “John Wick 3,” between “2” and “3” and then “3” and “4,” I called his people and asked, “Hey, I know Kevin’s real busy. Would he mind a meeting?” You could imagine how busy Kevin is, but both times, he sat me down and gave me a few hours of his time in both instances. He was like, “Okay, how can I help?” I was like, “Look, man, I got this ‘John Wick’ thing. Give me some advice. What’s the best way to handle this? Some people see this as a one-off. Some people see it as a cash grab.”
To Kevin’s credit, he goes, “What do you think?” I told him what I thought, and he very graciously gave me his thoughts on world-building and franchises. I don’t know if you’ve ever interviewed Kevin, but you’re not talking to a businessman. You’re not talking to an executive. You’re talking to a fan. Whatever he’s telling you, he can’t help himself from smiling. Regardless of strategies or methodologies of building a franchise, the one thing that comes across is “I love what I do. Follow your heart, follow your gut, be respectful to the fans. Do what you want to see, and you’re going to be okay.”
As far as how to do that, he’s like, “I have 75 years of IP. You’ve got one movie, so it’s going to be a little different.” He hits you with the reality. You got to earn it, man. But one of the bits of advice I got is make characters you love. Very similar to what the Wachowskis taught me … [he was also] like, “Make every frame, make every moment count.” There are no throwaway scenes, there’s no throwaway performances, there are no background players, foreground players — everything in front of that camera, you got to make it count. “John Wick 4” is a culmination of that, and that comes from the Russos, the Wachowskis, and Kevin driving that home for me.
Have you ever talked with him about directing something for Marvel?
In recent months, I was asked to come in and talk about a project. I don’t think it was the right fit, nor was it the right timing, because I still had to finish “Wick” … [but] I can’t be more gracious and more thankful. That’s flattering — if Marvel calls and offers you a gig, at least you’re on the radar. Of course, it’s a huge ego boost. It’s amazing.
But just like whether or not we do a “John Wick 5,” I don’t want to let down expectations. I know what I’m good at. I know what I suck at. I get it. You put me on a romantic comedy, I’m going to stumble. It could be a $10 million movie, but I’m probably going to mess it up. I don’t consider myself a very funny guy. But sci-fi, action, world-building, mythology, and that weird kind of chivalry — I’m all in that. That’s my zone.
If any studio called and said, “Hey, we want to develop a character from scratch,” that’s me. I’m your guy. To somehow take something that’s already so baked in the fans’ minds, I don’t know. I don’t think I’m very good at adaptations. I’m much better at building from the ground up. But if that were to happen, it’s not out of the range. It’s always a pleasure to work for people that love what they do. I’m not going to say yes, I’m not going to say no. It’s really an individual thing.
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