"John Wick: Consequence" Director Chad Stahelski wanted the audience to experience the trials of the main character [Director's Interview Vol.355]

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2023.09.21Hiroaki Saito

A fan who even owns singer Hiroyuki Sanada's records.

Q: For the first time in the series, Japan is depicted in a serious way. The Osaka Continental scene had a similar tone to Japanese anime.

Stahelski: You might think of `` Ghost in the Shell '' or `` AKIRA, '' but I think I'm influenced by Japanese anime as a whole rather than any particular work. The matrix series, for which I was an action director, also had a strong influence from Japanese anime, but the tone of that series was darker. Personally, I like to emphasize colors. That's why I tried to create Osaka full of color in my own way.

Q: It's true that the colors in the Osaka scenes leave an impression on me.

Stahelski: Unlike when we made the first John Wick movie, the color grading technology (adjustment of tone) has evolved significantly in this fourth movie. Previously, it was difficult to express the neon pink and purple hues often seen in anime in live-action. Thanks to technology that now makes it possible, and the talent of cinematographer Dan Rothesten, we were able to master the color palette. You should also feel that the black parts have become a deeper black. Through ` `John Wick ,'' we enjoy the joy of world-building, and in the process incorporate technology that has evolved since the first game.

Q: What works or directors other than Japanese anime have influenced you?

Stahelski: The Wachowski sisters, John Frankenheimer, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa... these are the names of directors that have inspired me and that have been input into my brain. Even when directing your own work, you cannot escape from that input. This time, the use of light in the staircase scene at the end of the film is definitely influenced by Frankenheimer. Regarding the Japanese scene, in addition to the accumulated input from over 1,000 works, including numerous movies, TV series, and books that I came into contact with after filming the third " John Wick " movie, I also learned about Japanese The Samurai culture and art that I learned newly. I feel like I'm making use of my knowledge. My motto is "A Lot of Little," which means collecting and expressing "a lot of little things," whether it's color, composition, or history. A typical example of this is the art exhibition room at Osaka Continental, where weapons and armor from various eras were created using colors and lighting to create innovative visuals.

Q: Please tell me why you chose Hiroyuki Sanada.

Stahelski: I've known Hiroyuki since he was a singer, and I even have his album. You also sang disco-style songs, right? (lol) I've known him for a long time and we call him Okiitomodachi (in Japanese). I've wanted to work with you for a long time, but our schedules just didn't work out. Due to an injury, he was unable to appear in the previous `` John Wick '' movie. So this time, I approached Hiroyuki from the scriptwriting stage and asked him to appear in the film no matter what, and despite the difficulties in coordinating schedules due to the coronavirus, we managed to make it happen.

Q: Additionally, Donnie Yen's participation in the film excited action movie fans.

Stahelski: When I thought about who I wanted to star in the movie, I looked back at their work on The Expendables , and thought of Bruce Willis, Wesley Snipes, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, It reminded me of Sylvester Stallone's face. There was a wide range of action stars to choose from, including Jackie Chan, of course. The deciding factor was this year's theme of "old friends fighting." Hiroyuki and Donnie were the best choices when considering casting, where the viewers didn't know who would win. Of course, I chose them because of my deep feelings for them and my passion for working with them.

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Director: Chad Stahelski

He is the director of the John Wick series (2014, 2017, 2019) and is an action evangelist who has been involved in many blockbuster action films. As an action/stunt coordinator, he has worked on ``The matrix Reloaded/Revolutions'' (2003), ``300'' (07), ``Wolverine: SAMURAI'' (13), and as a stunt director, ``The matrix'' (99/Stunt Double: Neo), etc. . He also appeared as an actor in ``The Matrix Resurrections'' (21). He has upcoming directorial projects such as ``Ghost of Tsushima'' and ``Rainbow Six.''

Interview and text: Hiroaki Saito

Became freelance in 1997, contributing movie reviews and interview articles to various media such as movie magazines, theater pamphlets, and movie sites. The column is constantly updated on Yahoo! News.

"John Wick: Consequence"

Nationwide release on Friday, September 22nd

Distribution: Pony Canyon

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