After four months of filming for John Wick 4 at location shoots in Paris, Japan, Berlin and New York, martial arts legend, Donnie Yen, 58, is finally ready to go home.
The star shared a video of his Hollywood journey on Instagram and described the filming as a “super fun and creative” experience. He hugged co-star Keanu Reeves on set and told him “I love you guys too…but I gotta go home~”! Reeves then replied cheekily, “Sure! Go home!”
Yen once revealed in an interview that when he was approached by the John Wick 4 team, his only criterion had been that the film is respectful of Chinese culture, or he would never agree to take on his role.
With the filming completed, Yen had in fact got along well with the crew and also developed “genuine friendships” with Reeves and the rest both onscreen and off, reported Jayne Stars.
It was emotional when it was time to say goodbye and the pair posed happily for a final selfie on set, as did Yen with director Chad Stahelski. The HK star also showed off gifts from the cast, including a long flute gifted by Reeves, which had the words “Thank you Donnie, you’re the best” printed on it.
John Wick is a commercial success, with its first three instalments garnering more than USD587 million (SGD792 million) worldwide.
As the anticipated sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, John Wick 4 is expected to deliver a solid box office performance, with the inclusion of martial arts legend Donnie Yen. The film is slated for a May 27 release in America come 2022.
Born July 27, 1963, Donnie Yen Ji-dan is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director, producer, action choreographer, and multiple-time world wushu tournament champion.
Yen is one of Hong Kong’s top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into mainstream Asian cinema by choreographing MMA in many of his films since the early 2000s. The first Chinese UFC champion Zhang Weili states that Yen’s films introduced her to MMA. /TISG