Chad Stahelski

Chad Stahelski (born September 20, 1968) is an American stuntman and film director. He is known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and directing the 2014 film John Wick along with David Leitch, as well as solo directing its two sequels. Stahelski also doubled for Brandon Lee after the fatal accident involving Lee on the set of The Crow (1994) and replaced Lee in the film. He has worked as a stunt coordinator and second unit director on several films.

Chad Stahelski
Stahelski at the John Wick red carpet premiere in Austin, Texas, September 19, 2014
Born
Charles F. Stahelski

(1968-09-20) September 20, 1968
Palmer, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFilm director, stunt coordinator, second unit director, actor
Years active1992-present
Known for

Career

Stahelski was a friend of Brandon Lee at Inosanto Academy. Lee died from a gunshot wound on March 31, 1993, after an accidental shooting on the set of The Crow. After Lee's death, with only eight days left before wrap, his fiancée, Eliza Hutton, and his mother supported director Alex Proyas' decision to complete the film. Only a few scenes requiring Lee remained unfinished, so the story was rewritten, and Stahelski and another stunt double, Jeff Cadiente, served as Lee's double with special effects used to give them Lee's face.

In 1997, Stahelski co-founded action design company 87Eleven with David Leitch.[1]

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.[2] In 2009, Stahelski was second-unit director and stunt co-ordinator on Ninja Assassin along with David Leitch.

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.[3][4]

Stahelski acted as sole director for the film's 2017 sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2,[5] and again for the third film, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019).[6]

In 2019, Stahelski was the second unit director for the reshoots of Birds of Prey.[7]

Upcoming work

In November 2017, he was signed on to the reboot of the Highlander franchise, which he committed to making a trilogy of, ending with "The Gathering" of the immortals. It would be similar in thematic development with the original Star Wars trilogy, and similar to John Wick action, but with swords replacing gun-play. The reboot trilogy would still include the iconic music by Queen.[8]

In December 2017, it was announced that Stahelski would be directing a film adaptation of the comic book Kill or Be Killed.[9]

In February 2018, it was announced that Stahelski would be directing a film adaptation of the Sandman Slim novels.[10][11]

In May 2018, Stahelski was announced as director of Analog.[12]

In May 2019, Stahelski was confirmed to be directing John Wick: Chapter 4, which is set for release on May 27, 2022.[13][14]

Personal life

Stahelski was married to fellow stunt performer Heidi Moneymaker.[15], who worked as Scarlett Johansson's double as Black Widow. She also appeared on Stahelski's film John Wick: Chapter 2.

Filmography
Year Title Director Producer Notes
2014 John Wick Yes Uncredited Co-directed with David Leitch
2017 John Wick: Chapter 2 Yes No
2019 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Yes Executive

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

References
  1. O'Falt, Chris (3 December 2019). "BTL Influencers: 87-Eleven's Chad Stahelski and David Leitch". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  2. "Chad Stahelski". IMDb.
  3. 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.
  4. "John Wick (2014)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  5. WEINTRAUB, STEVE (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Chad Stahelski To Direct 'John Wick 2' Solo". collider.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  6. Romano, Nick. "John Wick 3 brings back Chad Stahelski to direct". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  7. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/john-wick-director-oversee-new-action-scenes-birds-prey-1231715
  8. Brian Gallagher (30 January 2017). "Highlander Reboot Will Start a Trilogy, Gets Compared to John Wick". MovieWeb.
  9. Kit, Borys (2017-12-14). "'John Wick' Director Tackling Ed Brubaker Comic 'Kill or Be Killed' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  10. Bui, Hoai-Tran. "'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski to Direct Dark Fantasy Film 'Sandman Slim'". /Film. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  11. Foutch, Haleigh. "'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski to Helm Dark Fantasy 'Sandman Slim' for Studio 8". Collider. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  12. Borys Kit (22 May 2018). "'John Wick' Director, 'Colony' Creator Tackle Comic Book 'Analog' for Lionsgate (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  13. McNary, Dave; McNary, Dave (2019-05-20). "'John Wick 4' Confirmed With a 2021 Release Date". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  14. "Lionsgate Sets New Dates for 'John Wick 4,' 'Spiral'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  15. https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la23-heidi-louise-moneymaker-stahelski-vs-charles-stahelski-21262
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