The Directors of JOHN WICK Had To Fight The Studio Executives To Kill Off The Dog

Hollywood is funny. No one has any problems with movie characters going on bloody killing rampages involving killing people, but if a storyteller wants to kill off a dog… that’s where they draw the line.

As you know, the whole story of John Wick kicked off with the title character’s dog being killed. That’s the moment that broke Wick and sent him on his rampage of revenge. Well, it turns out that directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch had to fight the studio executives to keep the killing of the dog in the film, because they were troubled by it and wanted that aspect of the story removed.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad recently talked to CB and explained:

"I think that they wanted to do it right, and so there were elements where [the studio said], 'Let's cut the dog out. Let's just focus on it as an assassin coming out of retirement.' That kind of thing."

Kolstad went on to explain the reason why killing the dog needed to be in the story and how that moment of the event reveals what kind of man that Wick is and what he turns into over the course of the franchise:

"But without that dog connection and without that underlying soul and the heartbeat of that character, and also the levity it brings the character and the levity it brings the humor, it was key. At certain points, Chad and Dave, they fought for it, they got it and they were right. They continued to fight for the way they see certain stories playing out elsewhere. They've done quite well with that. They're talented cats, man."

The studio was hesitant about the scene up until the point they held the first test screening for the film when the crew and studio were able to watch the audience’s reaction to the scene. That’s when they realized that everything was going to be okay.

"But there was this pushback and pushback from all different angles until that first screening. We were watching the audience. As soon as the dog died, and seeing their reaction and then seeing the siege in house, we were like, yep, we were right.

"But a lot of times, you go into these movies, after so much work behind the scenes, and people take it differently. You kind of have to roll with it. But this was one of those rare situations where we kind of fought with our gut and it turned out to be right."

It’s interesting that the studio was so uncomfortable about killing a dog in a movie where there is already some much brutal death and carnage. Hollywood is funny.