Actress Eva Longoria saved the production of the famous John Wick movie series when it was in danger of shutting down forever.
During the filming of John Wick, the first film in the series starring Keanu Reeves, production funds ran out. Longoria stepped up with $6 million in funding. In exchange, she received a guarantee that she would be repaid as an original investor, according to Business Insider.
The film’s directors, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, said that halfway through production, it was discovered that the film was $6 million short of its budget. At this point, producer Basil Iwanyk began looking for someone to fill the financial hole until the film was completed. CAA, the major talent agency that was raising the money, reached out to some of its A-list clients. The deal ultimately went to Longoria.
“She came to the rescue and provided the missing funds,” Stahelski told Business Insider.
At the time, Stahelski said, the film was only 24 hours away from its full release. Iwanyk “maxed out three credit cards,” and both the director and Reeves had already “put their all into” financing the film in the 11th hour before Longoria’s funding began.
For Longoria, the investment almost certainly paid off in a big way. Although the exact details of her deal are unknown, John Wick grossed $87 million worldwide. The entire series, which began with the story of Reeves, a former hitman seeking revenge for the brutal murder of his dog, includes three original sequels and has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
“During awards season last year, I ran into her twice at Academy events and we shared memories,” Rietsch told BI. “She was like, ‘Wow, that was the best money I’ve ever spent.'” It was a huge reward for her. ”
Rietsch and Stahelski didn’t learn that the mysterious investor/savior was Longoria until after filming. “Basil took us out to dinner,” Stahelski said. Eva Longoria. ”We were like, “What!”
