“John Wick” might never have gone on to become a billion-dollar-grossing film franchise if not for the financial intervention of Eva Longoria, the original film’s directors revealed this week.
In an interview with Business Insider for the film’s 10th anniversary, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch — who directed the film together, despite only Leitch receiving a credit — said that the Keanu Reeves action flick was mere days away from having to shut down production due to a lack of funding.
“We were less than a week out and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing,” Stahelski told the publication. “We had all put in everything, including Keanu. And we were still short. So we were shut down.”
In a last ditch effort to save the production, CAA offered a number of its actors the chance to finance the remaining $6 million with the promise that they would be the first to be paid back once the film hit theaters.
The Keanu Reeves-led franchise has grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Dave J Hogan | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Longoria reportedly took CAA up on the opportunity, though Leitch and Stahelski didn’t know it at the time.
“She came to the rescue and she provided the gap financing,” Stahelski said. “Literally less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away, [our producer] said ‘We’ve got the investor, we’ve locked the gap.'”
Following the film’s box office success — it grossed $86 million on its estimated budget of $20 million to $30 million — the directors took Longoria out for lunch in Los Angeles as a thank you.
Leitch said he ran into the actress last year at awards season events and that the two reminisced about her financial intervention.
“She was like, ‘Wow, that was the best money I’ve ever spent,'” he said. “It paid back significantly for her.”
Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a bigger paycheck, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Start today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through November 26, 2024.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.
