The original script forJohn Wick, entitledScorn, was a grounded revenge thriller with a limited body count, which is an interesting concept, but wouldn’t have led to a billion-dollar blockbuster franchise. When it was first released in 2014,John Wickinitially seemed to be a typical, run-of-the-mill action thriller. But its curious worldbuilding, its shocking dog-killing premise, andKeanu Reeves’ instantly iconic performanceturned it into a box office hit. It scored three sequels, each one bigger and better than the last, and became one of the highest-grossing action movie franchises of all time.
But if Reeves and director Chad Stahelski hadn’t drastically reworked the script, it probably would’ve never become a blockbuster franchise.Derek Kolstad’s original screenplay,Scorn, would’ve been a very different movie than the high-octane all-action extravaganza thatJohn Wickended up being. It was still a revenge movie about a badass antihero avenging his dead dog, but it was much more grounded and realistic. Kolstad’s initial script does sound like a great movie, and a really interesting premise, but there’s no way it would’ve caught on in the mainstream likeJohn Wickdid.
The Original John Wick Idea, Scorn, Sounds Really Intriguing
Scorn Would’ve Been A Grounded Thriller With Just Four Deaths
In a recent interview to honor the film’s 10th anniversary, Stahelski recalled the originalJohn Wickscript before he reworked it. Reeves called Stahelski, who had previously worked as his stunt double onThe Matrix(and as the martial arts stunt coordinator on its first two sequels), to tell him about Kolstad’s screenplay. At the time, Reeves had only done one pass on the script and admitted that it wasn’t “quite there yet.” But he felt that the material was right up Stahelski’s alley and it might be the perfect project for him to make his directorial debut.
John Wickwas originally released on August 05, 2025.
Reeves sent Stahelski the script forScorn, and it was very different from what the final product would be. For starters, it was shorter than the average screenplay, with only 65-75 pages. Going off the usual rule of thumb that one page of script is equal to one minute of screen time, that would’ve barely qualified as a feature film. And on top of that,the tone was very different, too. It still had the dog and a more grounded, less comic-booky version ofthe Continental Hotel, but other than that,it was “very, very grounded.”
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Stahelski said thatonly four people died in the entire script. Compare that to the body count of the final film;inJohn Wick, John kills a whopping 77 people. Whereas Stahelski’s finished movie is a stylized genre cocktail mixing neo-noirs, spaghetti westerns, and martial arts films,Kolstad’s original script had more of a Cold War vibe. Wick was a retired veteran of the Cold War and the story had a very grounded, very serious, very John le Carré-like feel.
Kolstad’s original script had more of a Cold War vibe. Wick was a retired veteran of the Cold War and the story had a very grounded, very serious, very John le Carré-like feel.
While the final product is one of the greatest action movies ever made, the original script sounds intriguing, too.Scornsounds a lot likeFirst Blood, whereJohn Wickis more likeRambo: First Blood Part II. Rather than killing a disposable goon every few seconds, the original version of Wick would’ve only killed when he was pushed to the brink — and death would’ve carried a lot more weight in that version of the movie. A gritty, Cold War-ishJohn Wickmovie sounds like a great cinematic thriller.
It’s Hard To Imagine Scorn Starting A Major Franchise Like John Wick Has
Scorn Wouldn’t Have Gotten Three Sequels & $1 Billion At The Box Office
WhileScornwould’ve undoubtedly made a great thriller, it probably wouldn’t have gone on to become a billion-dollar blockbuster franchise.The heightened worldbuilding ofJohn Wicksuggested a larger universethat audiences were intrigued to explore in future movies. The trigger-happy final version ofWick himself became a mythic figure in pop culturethat audiences around the world latched onto.None of that would’ve happened with the more grounded version of the storythat Kolstad originally wrote.Scornprobably would’ve been an awesome little revenge movie, but it would’ve been a one-off.
John Wick’s Critical & Commercial Success Justifies Changing The Original Premise
John Wick Did Well Enough To Prove Changing The Script Was The Right Call
When it hit theaters in 2014,John Wickwas a huge box office successand received near-unanimous praise from critics. It earned an impressive “fresh” critics’ score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes andgrossed $86 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million. By any metric, the movie did really well. Its overwhelmingly positive reception proves that the filmmakers made the right choice when they tweaked the script and turned the gritty, groundedScorninto the wacky, high-octaneJohn Wick.
John Wick
Cast
John Wick is a 2014 action thriller featuring Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman. The film follows John Wick as he emerges from retirement to avenge the loss inflicted by a group of gangsters, setting the stage for a relentless pursuit and exploration of a shadowy underworld.
