John Wick's Puppy Almost Didn't Die in the Film, But Keanu Reeves "Stood Up" for the Puppy's Demise

As you know, the entire John Wick saga started because a group of bad guys killed his dog. That is what set Wick off and he embarked on a brutally violent revenge killing spree.

Well, it turns out that while John Wick’s dog being killed was the original idea, it almost didn’t happen. The dog almost survived, but Keanu Reeves was opposed to the idea and believed that the dog had to die.

During an interview with Business Insider, director David Leitch explained: "We were told, 'It's bad luck.' 'It's bad juju.' 'It's Old Yeller, you can't do this!' 'No one will want to see this on screen; you're going to alienate the audience.’”

“And I'm like, 'We're going to execute people at close range; killing the dog is one thing, but what about the brutal massacre of all these human beings? Are they going to be able to accept that?'" 

The idea for the dog to live came after shooting the violent home invasion scene, where the puppy is killed off-screen.

Director Chad Stahelski went on to say: "For the next couple of weeks it was suggested that we shoot an alternative ending revealing that the puppy actually isn't dead.

But Keanu stood up for us. And Basil [Iwanyk, producer] stood up to the investors, and eventually, they just felt, 'F*ck it, let's see what these guys can do.'"

Look, it is incredibly sad to see an innocent puppy so cruelly murdered, but the story needed it to happen to light the fuse within’ Wick and trigger him to get back in the game and embark on his murder revenge rampage. I mean, that puppy was a gift from his late wife.