Chad Stahelski | |
|---|---|
 Stahelski at the John Wick red carpet premiere in Austin, Texas, September 19, 2014 | |
| Born | Charles F. Stahelski September 20, 1968 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, stunt coordinator, second unit director, actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Known for | |
Chad Stahelski (born September 20, 1968) is an American stuntman and film director. He directed the 2014 film John Wick and its three sequels.[1] He has worked as a stuntman, stunt coordinator and second unit director on several films.
Career
Stuntman (1993–2013)
Stahelski worked on the 1994 film The Crow. Stahelski and fellow stuntman Jeff Cadiente served as stunt doubles for the actor Brandon Lee. On March 31, 1993, while filming, Lee was accidentally wounded on set by defective blank ammunition and later died in hospital during surgery.[2] Stahelski completed the remaining filming in place of Lee and special effects were used to superimpose Lee's face onto Stahelski.[3]
In 1997, Stahelski co-founded action design company 87Eleven with David Leitch.[4]
He worked as a stunt double for his future John Wick star Keanu Reeves in The Matrix franchise, and later served as a stunt co-ordinator for the films.[5] In 2009, Stahelski was second-unit director and stunt co-ordinator on Ninja Assassin along with David Leitch.[6]
In 2012, on the set of the film The Expendables 2 for which Stahelski served as stunt coordinator, stuntman Kun Liu was killed by an explosion on set. Liu's family sued Stahelski following the accident.[7]
Director (2014–present)
In 2014, Stahelski co-directed the action thriller film John Wick along with Leitch, based on the screenplay by Derek Kolstad. The film starred Keanu Reeves and Michael Nyqvist, and was released on October 24, 2014 by Summit Entertainment, grossing over $88 million.[8][9] Stahelski acted as sole director for the film's 2017 sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2,[10] and again for the third film, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and fourth film, John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).[11][12][13][1] He also served as the second unit director for the reshoots of Birds of Prey.[14]
Upcoming
In March 2023, Stahelski clarified that a remake of Highlander[15] as well as adaptations of Rainbow Six, Ghost of Tsushima,[16] Black Samurai for Netflix, and Shibumi[17] for Warner Bros. were the projects he was currently developing to produce and direct.[18]
Other projects he has been attached to in the past include Analog, and adaptations of Kill or Be Killed, and Sandman Slim.[19][20][21][22]
Personal life
Stahelski was married to fellow stunt performer Heidi Moneymaker, but they divorced in 2018.[23]
Stahelski was a friend of Brandon Lee and worked as his double.[24] They trained together at the Inosanto Academy.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | John Wick | Yes | No |
| 2017 | John Wick: Chapter 2 | Yes | No |
| 2019 | John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum | Yes | Executive |
| 2021 | Bruised | No | Executive |
| 2022 | Day Shift | No | Yes |
| 2023 | John Wick: Chapter 4 | Yes | Yes |
| 2024 | Ballerina | No | Yes |
Second-unit director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | |
| 2020 | Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) | Also stunt coordinator |
Stuntwork
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Crow | Brandon Lee-Stunt Double (Reshoots Uncredited) Credited As Chad Storelson |
| 1996 | Escape from L.A. | |
| 1997 | Bean | |
| Orgazmo | ||
| 1998 | Recoil | |
| Almost Heroes | ||
| The Hunted | Stunts/Stunt Coordinator | |
| 1999 | 8mm | |
| The Matrix | Keanu Reeves' Stunt Double | |
| Wild Wild West | ||
| 2000 | Picking Up The Pieces | |
| The Replacements | (Keanu Reeves' Stunt Double (Uncredited) | |
| The Gift | Uncredited stunts | |
| 2001 | Tomcats | |
| Ghosts of Mars | ||
| Rock Star | ||
| Corky Romano | ||
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded | Martial Arts Stunt Coordinator |
| The Matrix Revolutions | ||
| 2004 | Torque | Stunt Driver (Uncredited) |
| Van Helsing | Fight Coordinator/Assistant Stunt Coordinator | |
| Spider-Man 2 | Uncredited | |
| Cellular | Utility Stunts (Uncredited) | |
| 2005 | Thumbsucker | |
| Constantine | Fight Choreographer (Uncredited) | |
| XXX: State of the Union | ||
| Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Utility Stunts | |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | Johnny Knoxville-Stunt Double (Uncredited) | |
| Serenity | Stunt Coordinator | |
| Æon Flux | Uncredited | |
| V for Vendetta | ||
| 2006 | Beerfest | Stunt Coordinator |
| 300 | Fight Choreographer | |
| 2007 | Next | |
| Live Free or Die Hard | ||
| Shoot 'Em Up | Uncredited | |
| I Am Legend | ||
| 2008 | Jumper | |
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Supervising Stunt Coordinator |
| 2009 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Action Coordinator |
| Ninja Assassin | Stunt Coordinator | |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Utility Stunts |
| The Expendables | Stunt Coordinator | |
| Tron: Legacy | Uncredited | |
| 2011 | Season of the Witch | |
| The Mechanic | Stunt Coordinator | |
| Immortals | Fight Choreographer | |
| 2012 | Safe | Supervising Stunt Coordinator |
| Dredd | Action Coordinator | |
| 2013 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Assistant Stunt Coordinator |
| 2013 | The Wolverine | Stunt Coordinator (Uncredited) |
| 47 Ronin | ||
| Homefront | ||
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Uncredited |
| 2018 | Deadpool 2 | |
| 2024 | Deadpool 3 | |
Actor
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Vampires | Male Master #4 |
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | Chad |
References
- 1 2 Giardina, Carolyn (2023-04-02). "'John Wick 5'? Director Chad Stahelski Says "We're Open To It"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ↑ Robey, Tim (October 27, 2016). "Brandon Lee, Michael Massee and the 'curse' of The Crow". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ↑ "The Crow cast deals with Brandon's Lee death". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ↑ O'Falt, Chris (3 December 2019). "BTL Influencers: 87-Eleven's Chad Stahelski and David Leitch". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "Chad Stahelski". IMDb.
- ↑ O'Connell, Mikey (2023-03-14). "'John Wick' Filmmaker Chad Stahelski Talks Sequels, Oscar Stunt Snubs and Why Guns Still Show Up on Sets". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ↑ "'Expendables 2' Stuntman Death Prompts Family Lawsuit". The Hollywood Reporter. 26 July 2012.
- ↑ Cunningham, Todd (October 26, 2014). "Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick' Hits Box-Office Bulls-Eye and Lionsgate's Gamble Pays Off". thewrap.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ↑ "John Wick (2014)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ↑ WEINTRAUB, STEVE (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Chad Stahelski To Direct 'John Wick 2' Solo". collider.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ↑ Romano, Nick. "John Wick 3 brings back Chad Stahelski to direct". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (2019-05-20). "'John Wick 4' Confirmed With a 2021 Release Date". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- ↑ "Lionsgate Sets New Dates for 'John Wick 4,' 'Spiral'". The Hollywood Reporter. May 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- ↑ "'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski to Oversee New Action Scenes for 'Birds of Prey' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 16 August 2019.
- ↑ Brian Gallagher (30 January 2017). "Highlander Reboot Will Start a Trilogy, Gets Compared to John Wick". MovieWeb.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (2021-03-25). "Sony And PlayStation Productions Developing 'Ghost of Tsushima' Movie With 'John Wick's Chad Stahelski Directing". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (August 18, 2022). "Chad Stahelski & Warner Bros' Assassin Movie 'Shibumi' Finds Writer In Matthew Orton, Stahelski To Direct". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Director Chad Stahelski Breaks Down the Ending That Made the Studio Say, “Are You Insane?”
- ↑ Borys Kit (22 May 2018). "'John Wick' Director, 'Colony' Creator Tackle Comic Book 'Analog' for Lionsgate (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (2017-12-14). "'John Wick' Director Tackling Ed Brubaker Comic 'Kill or Be Killed' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
- ↑ Bui, Hoai-Tran (13 February 2018). "'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski to Direct Dark Fantasy Film 'Sandman Slim'". /Film. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ↑ Foutch, Haleigh (12 February 2018). "'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski to Helm Dark Fantasy 'Sandman Slim' for Studio 8". Collider. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ↑ "HEIDI LOUISE MONEYMAKER STAHELSKI VS CHARLES STAHELSKI". UniCourt.
- ↑ O'Connell, Mikey (2023-03-14). "'John Wick' Filmmaker Chad Stahelski Talks Sequels, Oscar Stunt Snubs and Why Guns Still Show Up on Sets". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-11.