John Wick is one of the most popular action series of the 21st century. It stars Keanu Reeves as a legendary assassin who comes out of retirement to get revenge on the people who killed his dog and stole his car.
The movies are known for their stylish and brutal action scenes as well as their complex world-building, which shows a hidden society of killers, criminals, and rules. But Is John Wick Based on a True Story? Or is it all made up? What we know is as follows.
Is John Wick Based on a True Story?
No, the movie John Wick is not based on a true story. The character and his story are made up by the screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wanted to write a revenge thriller with a memorable start. He got ideas from old noir movies, comic books, video games, and the love he has for his own dogs.
Kolstad said he thought of the idea when he thought about what he would do if someone hurt his two dogs, Loki and Isis. He said that he would do “terrible, terrible things.“
He also wanted to make an action hero who was neither too old nor too young, but just right. He first wrote John Wick as a 75-year-old man, but when Keanu Reeves said he wanted to play him, he changed it.
John Wick Has Some Real-life Inspirations!
Even though John Wick is not based on a true story, some of the people, places, and things in his world are based on real ones. For instance:
The Ruska Roma:
In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, we find out that John’s real name is Jardani Jovanovich and that he is a member of the Ruska Roma4, a real Romani clan in Russia with about 209,000 members5. People know about the Ruska Roma because of their music and because they are a matrilineal society.
The Continental:
The Continental is a hotel and gathering place for the High Table’s criminal underworld. It has locations in New York City, Rome, Casablanca, and other places.
The Continental only has one rule: “No business on Continental grounds.” This means that you can’t kill on Continental property.
Kolstad said that he based this neutral space on Switzerland and how it is thought to be outside of politics during wartime.
Marcus Luttrell:
Marcus Luttrell is a former Navy SEAL who wrote Lone Survivor in 2005 about his fire team’s struggles in Afghanistan during Operation Red Wings.
After Luttrell came home from war, some friends gave him a yellow labrador puppy named DASY. Four men shot and killed DASY, and then the Texas Rangers caught and jailed them.
Some sources say that this event helped Kolstad come up with the idea for John Wick’s story about getting revenge for his dog’s death. Kolstad, on the other hand, has never confirmed this link.
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