As John Wick Anime Rumors Swirl, Chad Stahelski Reveals This Iconic Japanese Animator Is a Big Influence [Exclusive]

Chad Stahelski has made it very clear that he deeply appreciates anime. The stuntman-turned-director of one of Hollywood's biggest action franchises has stated before that he'd love to spend more time in the medium of Japanese art and delivering powerful stories through animation. He recently got the chance to embrace his passion, too, working alongside legendary Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe to plan out the choreography and action sequences for the new original series Lazarus. Even outside of anime, however, he's put the themes and methods of the art form to use, with the John Wick films embracing similar types of over-the-top action and gritty, dramatic storytelling. With the release of the new documentary Wick Is Pain, he's now opening up on the series and creators that most impacted his development of the gun-fu epic.