John Wick 4 Is Embracing The Series' Anime Influences
Despite making a career playing delightful but sometimes buffoonish himbo types, Keanu Reeves is actually an extremely well-researched performer. The "John Wick" actor, who has Asian ancestry, seems especially careful to cover all his bases when it comes to playing roles that draw from Asian storytelling traditions.
Reeves has long-since demonstrated a keen interest in samurai stories, learning katana and Japanese for the 2013 film "47 Ronin" and reading up on Bushidō, a moral code that embodies the philosophies of samurai culture. A full decade later, he's still applying what he's learned, this time for the latest installment of the popular action saga "John Wick." The film series began in New York, but as the franchise has grown, it's unveiled a global network of assassins. All the while, neck-snapping widower Wick has abided by his own moral code, which is often at odds with some of his coworkers. That will continue to be the case with "John Wick: Chapter 4," which sees the property embracing its anime influences more than ever.
'There's definitely a strong Japanese influence'
In an interview with Total Film (via CBR), Keanu Reeves revealed that Bushidō and anime are both clear influences on his turn as John Wick in the character's fourth big screen adventure. "Japanese anime and Japanese filmmaking have definitely been something I've loved and have been influenced by," Reeves told the outlet. "And Bushidō is definitely a theme in our film –- you know, the code of the samurai –- so, from the outside, it feels like a great fit, the idea of honor and sacrifice."
While Reeves says that "there's definitely a strong Japanese influence" in "John Wick: Chapter 4," he doesn't cite any particular anime. However, the actor has brought up some of his favorites in the past, so we can at least guess at some of the touchstones he may have returned to throughout his career. At San Diego Comic Con in 2022, Reeves said that it was the Wachowski sisters who first got him into anime during the filming of "The Matrix" (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I was watching anime on channel 79, and I didn't even know what it was," Reeves explained. "And then when I worked with the Wachowskis on 'The Matrix,' they were like, 'You need to watch these.'"
Reeves is into anime - and he's even set to star in one
Lana and Lilly Wachowski's watchlist for Keanu Reeves included "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell." While the actor said that was just a starting point, he admitted that he's not very hip to the latest anime releases. "I'm not really up-to-date on current anime," he explained at SDCC. "A couple of my friends have some kids who can just spit anime, and I'm like, 'That sounds amazing.'" So while we won't expect Reeves to drop any "Chainsaw Man" references into his work soon, it sounds like "John Wick: Chapter 4" will still have an anime-influenced flavor, along with some samurai-like themes of sacrifice and honor.
Even if it turns out that "John Wick: Chapter 4" doesn't quite scratch that anime itch, fans are still in luck: Reeves is also set to headline and produce Netflix's upcoming anime adaptation of "BRZRKR," a Boom! Studios comic that was co-written by Reeves himself. He's set to play B, a cursed, immortal warrior who has walked the earth for thousands of years, only to end up working for the U.S. government as a human weapon. At the moment, Netflix has plans for both a live-action and anime version of the story, with Reeves set to star in both.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" is set to hit theaters on March 24, 2023. The adaptations of "BRZRKR" do not yet have a release date, but will stream on Netflix.