Director Chad Stahelski has cited many older movies as his inspiration for creating and filming John Wick, including The Killer (1989), Le Cercle Rouge (1970), Point Blank (1967), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Stahelski wanted to make an action star that had a backstory, instead of a nameless badass who simply likes to kill. Alistair MacLean and Stephen King, two famous novelists, are his other inspirations due to their incredible use of world-building and characterization. He also states the visual stylings of the '60s and '70s, including spaghetti westerns, film noir, and older action flicks, and creating the world of John Wick and its characters.