If it weren’t for Eva Longoria, we might have never gotten John Wick.
In an interview with Business Insider, John Wick co-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch said they ran into major financing issues with the Keanu Reeves-led action film at the last minute. “We were less than a week out and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing,” said Stahelski, who previously served as a stunt double for the movie’s leading star. “We were financing independently to get the bond, but one of the investors couldn’t raise the money in time.”
Stahelski and Leitch had already put some of their own money into the project alongside Reeves, and producer Basil Iwanyk had reached the limit on what he could contribute after maxing out three credit cards. Creative Artists Agency (CAA) helped put the filmmakers with independent financing and offered some of its actors the chance to get involved. Thankfully, Eva Longoria was eager to help out.
“[Eva] came to the rescue and she provided the gap financing, literally less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away,” Stahelski said. “Basil took us out to dinner [after filming], and we were laughing about all the bullshit that happened, and he said, ‘By the way, funny story, you know who gap financed you? Eva Longoria.’ We were like, ‘What!’”
After the movie premiered, the directors took Longoria out to lunch to thank her and she admitted that she didn’t think the movie was going to work. Ultimately, she said that it was “the best money” she’d ever spent. As for whether she’ll be in front of the camera in a future installment, Leith said that she’s shown interest. “She wants to for sure, she wants to do action,” he shared. “I would love to work with her, we’re trying to find something.”
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Produced on a relatively modest budget between $20 and $30 million, John Wick went on to gross $86 million at the box office. The budget doubled for the sequel, as did the box office returns. Each subsequent entry in the franchise has performed better than the last, with the fourth installment grossing $440 million on a $100 million budget.
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