John Wick: Chapter 4's 'Car-Fu' Sequences Were Choreographed Like Fight Scenes

In "The Matrix," after having the martial art uploaded directly into his character's brain, Keanu Reeves famously uttered the line, "I know kung fu." As John Wick, Reeves has also shown off his skills in the arena of "gun-fu," which puts Japanese and Brazilian jiu-jitsu into a blender with standing judo and "tactical 3-gun," as director Chad Stahelski has described it. "John Wick: Chapter 2" took things further by having Reeves show off his "car-fu" skills, and it sounds like he'll be back in the driver's seat — literally — for the upcoming "John Wick: Chapter 4."

Car-fu is exactly what it sounds like: the use of a car as a deadly weapon. One of the "John Wick: Chapter 2" Blu-ray special features was a segment called "Car Fu Ride Along," which showed how Reeves got behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang Mach 1 to perfect his driving so that action scenes could be built around it. You can see him weaving through an obstacle course and stopping short of traffic cones. For the first sequel's opening car chase, the filmmakers shut down Times Square in New York City at night to shoot. In a memorable moment, Wick used his driver's side door to send a motorcyclist flying.

In the latest issue of Total Film magazine — which hits newsstands on Thursday, February 2 — Reeves, Stahelski, and other crew members hype up the actor's stunt driving and the return of car-fu in "John Wick: Chapter 4." Reeves said: "We took the car driving to the next level, which I really enjoy. There's 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse-into-forward 270s, drifting ... [It] was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play."

Scott Rogers, the second unit director and stunt coordinator for "John Wick: Chapter 4," said Keanu Reeves began training "nine months in advance to develop his driving skills" for the movie. Scenes were then tailored to Reeves, much like John Wick's suit. Rogers says they worked to "choreograph the sequences around his strengths and abilities" and "started developing a way to shoot it that would more resemble a John Wick fight than a standard car sequence."

Stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski went ahead and issued a challenge to other actors who do their own stunts:

"I dare you to find anybody, any cast member in Hollywood — and I'm including all the big names — that can drive better than [Reeves]. I'll throw down the gauntlet! You know the other names I'm throwing it down to, and I bet Keanu can out-drive them all. That's how much time we put in. No skydiving or base-jumping; I can't throw that gauntlet for sure. But in a vehicle, he's amazing. And he puts in the time not just on set — he puts in the pre-lap time."

Stahelski seems to be alluding to Tom Cruise and his well-known propensity for doing his own stunts for the "Mission: Impossible" movies. Now that's a crossover we'd love to see. Between Cruise driving off a mountain on a motorcycle and Reeves giving it his all in a car, the movie would not be short on jaw-dropping action.

While we continue to dream, "John Wick: Chapter 4" speeds into theaters on March 24.