Keanu Reeves’ $881M John Wick Franchise Almost Edited Out Iconic Puppy Death Scene

Among the action film franchises, the John Wick movies starring Keanu Reeves have been one of the most popular in their genre along with other blockbusters like the sci-if thriller The Matrix and The Fast and The Furious. Director Chad Stahelski’s thrilling neo-noir film which is now entering its 4th installment in March 2023, has been viewed as a cult classic among fans.

John Wick director Chad Stahelski with actor Keanu Reeves
Despite many hardcore violent moments, the one scene that even deep-rooted action movie buffs could not stomach was the death of John Wick’s puppy. But an interesting piece of trivia regarding this segment is that this scene almost did not feature in the film.

John Wick’s puppy was almost saved

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, John Wick director Chad Stahelski was asked to gauge the possible success of the 2014 film if the assassin’s beagle puppy named Daisy had not been sacrificed. The pup who was killed within the first 10 minutes of the film, still managed to create a huge impact on viewers. As it turns out, Stahelski and producer David Leitch went back and forth with the decision to remove this scene, which ultimately made the cut. The director said,
“Killing the puppy was written out as many times as it was written back in. You don’t even know how much Dave and I stressed about that. Holy shit, we were risking credit cards, a house mortgage, everything. [Producer] Basil Iwanyk put his company up. And then you have that day where you realize we’re doing all this and we’re killing a puppy? I thought we would never come back from it.”
John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves with Daisy, the beagle
The filmmaker added that the death of the dog was written into the very first draft of the film. Ultimately, he stated that it was the right decision to keep the scene although it was a difficult one as it allowed John Wick’s rage to explode and the audiences to be further invested in the film and the character.

John Wick’s pit bull becomes a superstar

The fans’ disappointment over the death of John Wick’s beagle did not last long as the assassin gained a new pit bull puppy who was supposed to have been euthanized at the end of the first film. This pup went on to star with the protagonist in the next two films, 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2 and 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Keanu Reeves as John Wick with his pit bull
The pup gained so much popularity with audiences that he even got his own Funko Pop figurine along with John Wick following the release of the third film. With John Wick Chapter 4 arriving soon, audiences will be keen to see how the story arc of the assassin and the dog will come a full circle.