Keanu Reeves, who plays the titular character in the John Wick franchise was actually the reason how the films got their names. Find out how Reeves unintentionally made the franchise a hit.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick
Did you know that the billion-dollar John Wick franchise was going to be named Scorn? Even though it is hard to associate any other name to the movies immortalized by Keanu Reeves’ iconic action hero, it is true that initially, the films were going to have a generic name, which was Scorn. But Keanu unintentionally changed it and might have saved the franchise from losing out on a few million.

How did Keanu Reeves change the name of the John Wick franchise?

When the first John Wick film was being planned, the writer of the film, Derek Kolstad had originally titled the first movie Scorn. He had also planned to make the character of the assassin a much older man who had retired not due to wanting to spend a normal life with his wife, but due to old age.

But when Reeves got cast in the film and got really involved in the process of development, he spent a lot of time with Kolstad and others to reshape the character of John Wick. The name of the character stuck with him so much that before the movie’s release, he would refer to it as John Wick in all the interviews. The marketing team and the producers realized that his habit was granting them, “four to five million dollars in free advertising.” They realized that the title change was necessary as it would make the movie more unique, while a generic name like Scorn might push it into the abyss with the thousands of other action films.

How did the title change help the franchise? 

Keanu Reeves obviously did not mean to change the title of the film series, but he just might have saved the franchise from getting lost in history. Even Derek Kolstad admitted that he could not imagine the movie’s title being Scorn anymore.

When the movie came out in 2014, it became an instant hit and a cultural phenomenon that has produced not only three more sequels but also a prequel series over the decade. The franchise’s unique title sets it apart from the rest of the generic action films that came out during this time and helps it retain the loyalty of its audience.

Of course, the main reason why John Wick is so famous is because of Reeves’ portrayal of the character. He is so iconic in this role that nobody can imagine anyone but him as John Wick. Even though The Continental garnered a fair bit of attention, it is safe to say that Reeves is the reason behind the franchise garnering more than a billion dollars, and his happy accident is what made it all possible. And now with a rumor about a 5th movie flying around, his fans will have more to look forward to.