Ten years ago, a little revenge movie about an ex-assassin getting vengeance over his murdered puppy came out in theaters by the name of John Wick. It didn’t quite light the world on fire theatrically, but eventually, people learned about this incredible shoot-em-up action movie. Three sequels, a TV series, and an upcoming spinoff later, Keanu Reeves’ character of John Wick in a household name. Not to mention also a billion-dollar franchise. But the whole thing almost didn’t happen, and John Wick was only saved at the eleventh hour by former Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria.
Via Variety, we learned that during an interview with Business Insider, original John Wick creators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch recalled how Longoria put up $6 million to close an unexpected gap in the film’s funding. The overall budget for the original John Wick was somewhere between $20 and $30 million. Longoria invested the $6 million that remained with less than 24 hours to go before filming on John Wick began. She ended up being the guardian angel of the project. If she had not provided the money, production would have surely shut down.
That first John Wick film went on to gross $86 million, a decent return on investment for Longoria and co. It, of course, launched a franchise as well. Stahelski and Leitch eventually took Longoria out to lunch to thank her for her last-minute save of John Wick. Leitch said that Longoria would later tell him that investing in the film was “The best money she’d ever spent.” Considering how huge the franchise has become, we bet she’s not lying. So, as a thank you, will they ever put Longoria in a John Wick project? Leitch said “She wants to for sure, she wants to do action. I would love to work with her; we’re trying to find something.” Here’s hoping Eva checks into the Continental Hotel before too long.
