John Wick: Chapter 4's Fight Between Hiroyuki Sanada And Donnie Yen Was An On-Set Spectacle
The "John Wick" films scarcely disappoint in the realm of action, and that has a lot to do with the talent they bring into the fold with each project. The stakes have, naturally, mounted exponentially since Keanu Reeves' first outing as the Baba Yaga, making "John Wick: Chapter 4" the biggest yet — and meriting a massive ensemble in turn.
Personally, this is the most exciting "John Wick" project on grounds of casting alone. You've got returning players like Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Laurence Fishburne; there's a chance that Halle Berry might return as well, even if just for a cameo. (Wishful thinking? Maybe.) "Chapter 4" will also introduce Bill Skarsgård, Rina Sawayama, and Clancy Brown to the fray — but Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada might be the cast members garnering the most buzz ahead of the film's March 2023 release. Yen and Sanada are both heavy hitters in their own right, so scoring them both in one film already feels like a win. But their characters are also on opposite sides of a mysterious conflict, which means that we get the added treat of watching these two legends duke it out in a major way.
Let them fight
"John Wick: Chapter 4" director Chad Stahelski is absolutely no stranger to the action arena, but even he got a little starstruck with Yen and Sanada. He recently spoke to Collider about the process of bringing two legends together — not just as characters with opposing views, but with their own signature styles as well. "Hiroyuki is used to the Japanese way of doing things, very precise," Stahelski explained. "And you have Donnie that's really the epitome of Hong Kong action, of 'Let's just be great and make it up on the day of, and get the energy.'" Putting these two fighters together meant finding an "organic mix" that served the story — and fortunately, both Sanada and Yen were game:
"When you have guys that come from the action genre world, and they both love to act, it's funny, they all have that similar thread ... They don't want to be trope-y. They want to try something new. They're very brave. It's not falling back into the same, 'Let's just do the style I'm good at.'
"[...] They had a good time. I think the respect was there, and super courteous to each other, and literally just, we had all our grand ideas of choreography and stuff, and then it comes down to two guys just doing it really well. And you watch and you're like, 'Oh yeah, okay, I'm going to shut up now. Let you guys do your thing.'"
'You just want to watch these guys do their thing'
Yen and Sanada's showdown is already a huge talking point for the new film. Given their popularity, they're sure to draw a crowd wherever they go — and that was especially true on the set of "John Wick: Chapter 4." When it finally came time to film their fight piece, "there was no shortage of stunt people on the sidelines," Stahelski recalled. "Everybody came out to watch. They're great humans, incredibly creative, and super talented. So yeah, of course, you just want to watch these guys do their thing."
It'd be easy to anticipate an ego clash between such major stars, but refreshingly, it was just about having fun:
"The funny thing is, these guys couldn't be happier doing their thing. There's no insecurity. You yell, 'Cut,' and it's supposed to be a serious scene, but you yell, 'Cut,' and they're high-fiving each other, and you're watching Hiroyuki and Donnie Yen high-five each other going, 'Good job. Thank you. What can I do for you?' Just like great stunt guys, 'How can I make you look better?' So giving."
"John Wick: Chapter 4" hits theaters on March 24, 2023.