Directed by Chad Stahelski, ‘John Wick’ is Keanu Reeves’ action vehicle that is arguably one of the most popular action movies of the 21st century. The movie follows the title character, a former assassin, as he aims to track down the men who stole his car and killed his dog who was a token of love from his late wife. A financial and critical success, the 2014 movie spawned a franchise, comprising several sequels as well as a graphic novel, comic book series, video games, and a spin-off series.
The neo-noir film features a lot of action sequences that have earned high praise due to the manner in which they were choreographed and brought to the screen in some impressive locations. You might be curious where John Wick was filmed. Here are the details.
John Wick Filming Locations
The shooting of John Wick was done almost entirely in New York State, particularly in New York City with the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens used as filming locations. In addition, several villages near New York City and Long Island also served as production sites. Filming commenced in October 2013 and continued for a few months before being wrapped up in December of the same year. Here are the details of the specific filming sites for the movie.
Queens, New York
Calvary Cemetery at 49-02 Laurel Hill Boulevard in Woodside, one of the biggest cemeteries in the country, served as a pivotal filming location for the film. A metal yard by the name of Pine Scrap Metal, located on Laurel Hill Boulevard in the Maspeth area served as the exterior of Aurelio’s shop. A portion of the studio shooting was also done in Queens, specifically at York Studios at 34-02 Laurel Hill Boulevard in Maspeth.
Manhattan, New York
A large portion of the movie was shot in Manhattan. Locations include the Cunard Building on 25 Broadway and Delmonico’s restaurant at 2 South William Street in lower Manhattan. The former served as the interior for the Continental Hotel lobby in the movie, while the latter was used for filming the exterior scenes along with a Sushi restaurant named Haru Sushi at 82nd Beaver Street. The James Hotel on 27th Gran Street doubled up as the lair of the big baddie in the film, Viggo Tarasov.
The Minton Tiles at the famous Bethesda Arcade in Central Park served as the backdrop where John Wick kills Perkins, a dangerous assassin and a former acquaintance of his. The property used as the house of Marcus — John Wick’s colleague and mentor — is actually located at 160 E 83rd Street on East Side. Two locations served for the Red Circle Club — Surrogate’s Court on 31st Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan for the interiors and the Edison Ballroom at 240 West on 47th Street for the exterior shots.
The cast and crew were spotted filming near the Flatiron School on 11 Broadway in the Financial District on October 6, 2013. A portion of the filming also took place on West 43rd Street, 8th Avenue and West 27 Street between November 13 and 15. The Tribeca neighborhood also saw some shooting for the movie with a chase scene filmed on Church Street. Franklin Street is another location the team used for filming a few scenes; the shoot lasted in the area from December 3 to December 5, 2013. Additional shooting also took place in the areas of Chambers Street, Worth Street, and Lafayette Street.
Long Island, New York
The village of Mill Neck in Nassau County on the northern shore of Long Island provided the location of John Wick’s house. Two nearby properties in the area were used as stand-ins for the house — 112 Lower Horseshoe and 120 Lower Horseshoe. Shooting for the scenes commenced in the village on October 14, 2013.
Brooklyn, New York
The cast and crew began filming in Brooklyn on October 6, 2013. The parking lot where John Wick tries to kill Viggo is located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the borough. Keanu Reeves was spotted taping scenes in the area around December 19, 2013.
A portion of the filming was also done in Brooklyn Bridge Park as well as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with the latter serving as the place where the final shot of the film takes place. The church used in the film is the Saint Francis Xavier Church, located at 225 6th Avenue in Brooklyn. The 6th and 7th Avenue were also used for filming; several scenes were particularly filmed at Union Street, Carroll Street, and President Street.
Upper Nyack, New York
Movie Starring Keanu Reeves Films at Upper Nyack Gas Station. Thriller 'John Wick' puts Reeves in role of ex-hitman pic.twitter.com/5RRnQKPWEW
— Ayako Ueda (@okka_nyan) October 29, 2013
The village of Upper Nyack is located in the town of Clarkstown in Rockland County. The CITGO gas station at 501 North Highland Avenue served as the gas station where the opening confrontation sequence of the movie takes place, basically the event that kick-starts the movie. Additional shooting was also conducted in Clarkstown, with the production team taping a few shots at Route 9W and Christian Herald Road in Valley Cottage.
Read More: Is John Wick Based on a True Story?
