Keanu Reeves Is Great, But There's Another Actor I Think Would Have Been Great As John Wick

He’s become so synonymous with the role that it’s difficult to envision the John Wick franchise with anyone but Keanu Reeves. That’s the case with a lot of actors who play iconic characters in various franchises, like Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.

That said, if you really take the time to consider it, there’s one actor who feels they could’ve played John Wick almost as well as Keanu Reeves. This isn’t an obvious concept either, as this performer isn’t someone known for his major action roles. Despite that, several qualities make us think that his playing John Wick would’ve been fun.

Keanu Reeves Is So Good, It’s Hard To Imagine Another Actor Playing John Wick

Keanu Reeves as John Wick aiming a gun in the first movie

As noted, Keanu Reeves is basically perfect as John Wick. He has been praised for his performance as the character since the franchise’s first installment. While the world has only expanded and the lore has gotten deeper, the one constant in the blockbuster film series is Keanu Reeves.

That makes it especially hard to consider the possibility of anyone else playing the now iconic character. In fact, there aren’t many original characters born in the 2010s in cinema that have become as legendary or have spawned as successful a franchise. That likely doesn’t happen without Reeves, regardless of how good the movies are.

At this point, Reeves is Wick and Wick is Reeves. That said, before Reeves was cast as John Wick, Bruce Willis was rumored to be in the running for the part. However, only one actor, who was forgotten about at the time, could’ve been just as great as Wick.

Ke Huy Quan Could Have Been A Great John Wick

Jamie Yao (Ke Huy Quan) smiling during an interview in American Born Chinese.

It may sound unexpected at first glance, but Ke Huy Quan would’ve been perfect as John Wick. There’s no denying Quan’s acting talents, which he’s displayed in recent years as he won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once and turned in quality work in Loki and American Born Chinese.

The main reasons that imagining Quan as John Wick is such a left-field concept are that he lacks extensive experience in the action genre and he stepped away from acting for a long time. Before a 2021 role, Quan hadn’t appeared in a film since 2002 and on top of that, his only action roles were in the ’80s.

Quan was great in both The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as iconic characters Data and Short Round but outside of that, he doesn’t seem like someone who would play John Wick. However, he has a key similarity to Keanu Reeves that could make it work.

Both Reeves and Quan played characters in the ’80s who are pop culture staples rooted in the comedic genre, as Ted from the Bill & Ted franchise remains one of Reeves’s greatest characters. If Reeves could branch out to become an action star, Quan could pull it off as well.

Weirdly, Ke Huy Quan’s Version Of John Wick Flopped

Ke Huy Quan as a bloodied Marvin glaring in Love Hurts

Thanks to his stellar work in some creative action sequences in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan was ultimately cast to lead his own action flick. That was 2025’s Love Hurts, which blended the genre with his comedic talents.

Love Hurts actually showcases how Quan would’ve worked as John Wick despite the film flopping. The story centers on Quan’s Marvin, a retired hitman who must return to his old life when his brother hunts him and, along the way, he reunites with his old partner, who he harbors feelings for.

A plot where a retired hitman is forced back into a life of using his old skills is exactly how John Wick gets started. Alas, Love Hurts didn’t even make back its budget (which was under $20 million) and wasn’t met with the strongest of reviews.

Love Hurts holds an 18% Rotten Tomatoes rating, which is a far cry from John Wick. However, a closer look shows a 61% rating from audiences and a big reason for that is that Quan is great in the film and it’s actually a lot of fun. You can see how Quan would be able to make John Wick work.

Ke Huy Quan Would Be A Great Addition To The John Wick Franchise

As noted, the scale of the John Wick franchise continues to grow. Each movie explores more of the lore, introduces new characters, and covers more parts of the world. That means there’s plenty of room for Ke Huy Quan to actually join the series at some point.

After the first film, actors like Ruby Rose, Halle Berry, Asia Kate Dillon, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bill Skarsgård, and Donnie Yen have joined the cast. Even musician Rina Sawayama nearly stole the show in her big screen debut. Given his talents, Ke Huy Quan would be an excellent addition as well.

Since John Wick: Chapter 4 took things to new countries, it’s possible they’ll expand things even further in future entries. That opens the door for Quan to join and he’d do great in any role. Plus, Quan has said he wants to branch out and play a villain, which would be a blast in a future John Wick film.

Although he can’t play John Wick, Ke Huy Quan could end up leading a spin-off or something like that. The John Wick franchise recently expanded with Ana de Armas’ Ballerina, and there are rumors of projects centering on characters introduced in the fourth film, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.