--- name: "Chad Stahelski" canonical: "https://film.one/person/chad-stahelski" fi1m_id: "chad-stahelski" imdb_id: "nm0821432" tmdb_id: 40644 wikidata_id: "Q22277301" roles: ["Director","Producer"] born: "20 September 1968" reviewed_on_fi1m: 16 average_fi1m_score: 76 average_as: "director" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-10-23T04:00:33.677898+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Chad Stahelski ## Identity Chad Stahelski - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/chad-stahelski - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** chad-stahelski - **IMDb ID:** nm0821432 - **TMDB ID:** 40644 - **Wikidata ID:** Q22277301 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Stahelski, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22277301, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0821432/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40644 Director and producer. Born 20 September 1968 in Palmer, Massachusetts, USA. ## Details - **Work:** Director, Producer - **Born:** 20 September 1968, Palmer, Massachusetts, USA - **Active:** 1997–present - **Also known as:** Chad Staheiski, Chad Stahleski, Chad Stangelski, Chad Storelson, Charles Stahelski, Charles F. Stahelski - **Titles on Fi1m:** 16: 2 acting, 4 directing, 1 producing, 7 crew, 2 other - **Frequently works with:** [Basil Iwanyk](https://film.one/person/basil-iwanyk.md), [Keanu Reeves](https://film.one/person/keanu-reeves.md), [Erica Lee](https://film.one/person/erica-lee.md), [Derek Kolstad](https://film.one/person/derek-kolstad.md), [Ian McShane](https://film.one/person/ian-mcshane.md), [Laurence Fishburne](https://film.one/person/laurence-fishburne.md), [Shay Hatten](https://film.one/person/shay-hatten.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 76, as director, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 60 (1), 2000s 67 (3), 2010s 68 (9), 2020s 66 (3) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 76 to 73 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Genres:** Action 4, Thriller 4, Crime 3 - **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $1,033m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Stahelski, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22277301, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0821432/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40644 ## Coming up - *Karoshi* (2027-01-28), Producer ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*John Wick*](https://film.one/film/john-wick.md) (80), [*John Wick: Chapter 4*](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-4.md) (74) - **Pluto TV:** [*John Wick: Chapter 2*](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-2.md) (76), [*John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum*](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-3-parabellum.md) (72) - **HBO Max:** [*Ballerina*](https://film.one/film/ballerina.md) (58) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Chad Stahelski > Chad Stahelski makes action worth watching closely: the actors do difficult things, and he lets us see them. We rate that precision highly, though the *John Wick* films grow less disciplined whenever someone starts explaining the rules. Keanu Reeves has room to fight in a Chad Stahelski film, and we have time to follow him. The takes are long enough to show the work, with the geography kept clear so that each movement makes sense. We found *John Wick* (2014) satisfying for that simple reason: we could see what Reeves was doing. Stahelski is a director we recommend for his action, with reservations about what happens between fights. The partnership goes back to Stahelski doubling Reeves on *The Matrix* (1999). He made his feature directing debut alongside David Leitch with *John Wick*, then directed *John Wick: Chapter 2* (2017) alone. That move from performing action to directing it helps explain his patience when staging a fight. Long rehearsals and training give his actors the chance to do difficult physical work themselves, and he gives us time to appreciate it. The first film makes a strong case for keeping the story spare. Its revenge plot is thin and sometimes repetitive, but at 101 minutes it rarely gets in the way of the staging for long. Stahelski blends martial arts and gunplay, allowing us to follow the choreography without having to reconstruct it between cuts. Reeves makes that violence compelling, and Stahelski knows that watching him perform it is enough to sustain a scene. *John Wick: Chapter 4* (2023) tests that restraint across 170 minutes, travelling through Osaka, Berlin and Paris. Its four or five major action sequences are inventive, painful and unusually easy to follow; the long takes show what the performers can do. Paco Delgado's suits remain buttoned through the punishment, a small joke that survives all the expansion. Between those sequences, however, men sit in dim rooms explaining rules, and the film gives them far more time than they need. An organisation refusing to leave one man alone needs less explaining than Stahelski seems to think. We still recommend the fourth film for an action evening, but the first is the firmer recommendation because its precision extends further beyond the fights. Stahelski has not lost his ability to stage them. For whatever comes next, we would welcome the same care over how long the conversations last. ## Biography Chad Stahelski is an American stunt performer, coordinator and filmmaker. Born on 20 September 1968 in Palmer, Massachusetts, he entered the film industry as a stunt performer at the age of 24 after working as a martial arts instructor. Stahelski is best known for his work on the John Wick series. He co-directed the first film with David Leitch in 2014 and directed its sequels, including John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), on which he also served as producer. He is a producer on the spin-off Ballerina (2025). Earlier in his career he performed stunts on films including The Matrix (1999), for which he was Keanu Reeves's stunt double. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.* ## On Fi1m (16) ### Performed in (2) - *The Matrix Resurrections* (2021), Fi1m 66, as Chad — [page](https://film.one/film/the-matrix-resurrections.md) - *V for Vendetta* (2006), Fi1m 73, as Storm Saxon — [page](https://film.one/film/v-for-vendetta.md) ### Directed (4) — the average rests on these - *John Wick: Chapter 4* (2023), Fi1m 74, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-4.md) - *John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum* (2019), Fi1m 72, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-3-parabellum.md) - *John Wick: Chapter 2* (2017), Fi1m 76, Executive Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-2.md) - *John Wick* (2014), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick.md) ### Produced (1) - *Ballerina* (2025), Fi1m 58, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/ballerina.md) ### Crew (7) - *Captain America: Civil War* (2016), Fi1m 74, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/captain-america-civil-war.md) - *After Earth* (2013), Fi1m 38, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/after-earth.md) - *The Hunger Games: Catching Fire* (2013), Fi1m 80, Second Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games-catching-fire.md) - *The Wolverine* (2013), Fi1m 64, Stunts — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wolverine.md) - *The Hunger Games* (2012), Fi1m 70, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games.md) - *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows* (2011), Fi1m 58, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows.md) - *Bean* (1997), Fi1m 60, Stunts — [page](https://film.one/film/bean.md) ### Also credited (2) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited - *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), Fi1m 65, as Terrorist (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/live-free-or-die-hard.md) - *Constantine* (2005), Fi1m 62, as Demon in Hospital (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/constantine.md) ## Complete filmography (114) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Karoshi* (2027), Producer - *I Was a Stranger* (2025), Executive Producer - *Ballerina* (2025), Producer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/ballerina.md) - *Wick Is Pain* (2025), Executive Producer - *Lazarus* (2025), series, as Other - *Ninja Kamui* (2024), series, Action Director - *The Continental: From the World of John Wick* (2023), series, Executive Producer - *John Wick: Chapter 4* (2023), Producer, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-4.md) - *Day Shift* (2022), Producer - *The Matrix Resurrections* (2021), as Chad — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/the-matrix-resurrections.md) - *Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)* (2020), Second Unit Director - *John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum* (2019), Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-3-parabellum.md) - *Deadpool 2* (2018), Stunts — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/deadpool-2.md) - *Baby Driver* (2017), Thanks — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/baby-driver.md) - *John Wick: Chapter 2* (2017), Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick-chapter-2.md) - *Captain America: Civil War* (2016), Second Unit Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/captain-america-civil-war.md) - *Grimsby* (2016), Second Unit Director - *Hitman: Agent 47* (2015), Action Director - *John Wick* (2014), Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/john-wick.md) - *The Hunger Games: Catching Fire* (2013), Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games-catching-fire.md) - *Escape Plan* (2013), Second Unit Director - *The Wolverine* (2013), Stunts — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wolverine.md) - *Man of Tai Chi* (2013), Martial Arts Choreographer - *After Earth* (2013), Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director — Fi1m 38, [page](https://film.one/film/after-earth.md) - *The Expendables 2* (2012), Second Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator - *Safe* (2012), Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director - *The Hunger Games* (2012), Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games.md) - *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows* (2011), Second Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows.md) - *Killer Elite* (2011), Stunt Coordinator - *Spy Kids: All the Time in the World* (2011), Stunts - *The Mechanic* (2011), as Vaughn's Bodyguard (uncredited) - *TRON: Legacy* (2010), Stunt Coordinator — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/tron-legacy.md) - *Faster* (2010), Stunts - *The Expendables* (2010), Stunt Coordinator - *Iron Man 2* (2010), Utility Stunts — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/iron-man-2.md) - *The Odds* (2010), Stunt Coordinator - *Ninja Assassin* (2009), Second Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator - *Archer* (2009), series, as (voice) - *X-Men Origins: Wolverine* (2009), Stunts — Fi1m 45, [page](https://film.one/film/x-men-origins-wolverine.md) - *Speed Racer* (2008), Stunt Coordinator - *Jumper* (2008), Stunts - *Rambo* (2008), Stunt Coordinator - *Balls of Fury* (2007), Fight Choreographer - *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), as Terrorist (uncredited) · Stunts — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/live-free-or-die-hard.md) - *Next* (2007), as US Marine (uncredited) · Stunts - *Fetch* (2007), as Sunny · Executive Producer, Stunts - *300* (2007), Stunt Coordinator — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/film/300.md) - *Beerfest* (2006), Stunt Coordinator - *V for Vendetta* (2006), as Storm Saxon · Stunts Coordinator — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/v-for-vendetta.md) - *Serenity* (2005), Stunt Coordinator — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/serenity.md) - *Thumbsucker* (2005), Stunt Double - *The Dukes of Hazzard* (2005), Stunt Double - *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* (2005), Utility Stunts — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/mr-and-mrs-smith-2005.md) - *xXx: State of the Union* (2005), Stunts - *Constantine* (2005), as Demon in Hospital (uncredited) · Fight Choreographer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/constantine.md) - *Max Havoc: Curse Of The Dragon* (2004), Stunt Coordinator - *Spider-Man 2* (2004), Stunts — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-2.md) - *Van Helsing* (2004), Fight Choreographer - *The Matrix Revolutions* (2003), Stunt Coordinator — Fi1m 46, [page](https://film.one/film/the-matrix-revolutions.md) - *The Matrix Reloaded* (2003), Stunt Coordinator — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/the-matrix-reloaded.md) - *Dead Above Ground* (2002), Stunts - *Kung Pow: Enter the Fist* (2002), as Masked Fighter · Stunts - *Corky Romano* (2001), Stunts - *Rock Star* (2001), Stunts - *Ghosts of Mars* (2001), Stunts - *Tomcats* (2001), Stunts - *The Gift* (2000), Stunts - *Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye* (2000), Stunts - *The Replacements* (2000), Stunt Double - *Picking Up the Pieces* (2000), Stunts - *Wild Wild West* (1999), Stunts — Fi1m 34, [page](https://film.one/film/wild-wild-west.md) - *The Matrix* (1999), Stunt Double — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-matrix.md) - *8MM* (1999), Stunts - *My Favorite Martian* (1999), Stunts - *Vampires* (1998), as Male Master #4 - *CHiPs '99* (1998), Stunts - *Orgazmo* (1998), Stunts - *Almost Heroes* (1998), Stunts - *Recoil* (1998), as Henchman (uncredited) · Stunts - *The Hunted* (1998), as FBI Agent #2 · Stunt Coordinator - *Alien Resurrection* (1997), Stunts, Stunt Double — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/alien-resurrection.md) - *Perfect Target* (1997), Stunts - *Bean* (1997), Stunts — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/bean.md) - *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (1997), series, as Kulak — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer.md) - *True Vengeance* (1997), Fight Choreographer - *Bloodsport III* (1996), as Max Omega · Fight Choreographer - *Riot* (1996), Stunts - *The Glimmer Man* (1996), as Carjacker (uncredited) - *Escape from L.A.* (1996), Stunts - *Nemesis 3: Time Lapse* (1996), as Nebula - *Bloodsport II* (1996), as Fighter - *Nemesis 2: Nebula* (1995), as Nebula - *Heatseeker* (1995), as Budokam Fighter - *Fist of the North Star* (1995), Stunts - *Spitfire* (1995), as Whit - *The Feminine Touch* (1995), Stunts - *Hong Kong 97* (1994), as Leong - *The Crow* (1994), Stunt Double - *Brain Smasher... A Love Story* (1993), Stunts - *Knights* (1993), Stunts - *Mission of Justice* (1992), as The Gauntlet - *Calexit*, Director, Producer - *Highlander*, Producer, Director - *Analog*, Director, Producer - *Rainbow Six*, Director, Executive Producer - *Snow Ponies*, Executive Producer - *The Man from Nowhere*, Producer - *Bella*, Producer - *Caine*, Producer - *Loose Cannons*, Producer - *The Professionals*, Producer - *Untitled Animated John Wick Prequel*, Producer - *John Wick: Chapter 5*, Producer, Director - *Sentinel*, Producer ## Gallery - ![John Wick Red Carpet, Fantastic Fest 2014 Austin, Texas 2014--30.jpg](https://film.one/media/person/8426/gallery-6f1046c5a7c9.jpg) John Wick Red Carpet, Fantastic Fest 2014 Austin, Texas 2014--30.jpg — Anna Hanks from Austin, Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Chad_Stahelski.jpg/1280px-Chad_Stahelski.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chad Stahelski](https://film.one/media/person/8426/gallery-83db99177e7a.jpg) Chad Stahelski — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Chad_Stahelski_-_Wick_is_Pain.jpg/1280px-Chad_Stahelski_-_Wick_is_Pain.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![John Wick Red Carpet, Fantastic Fest 2014 Austin, Texas 2014--30.jpg](https://film.one/media/person/8426/gallery-b56f2c37b5eb.jpg) John Wick Red Carpet, Fantastic Fest 2014 Austin, Texas 2014--30.jpg — Anna Hanks from Austin, Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Chad_Stahelski_2014_Cropped.jpg/1280px-Chad_Stahelski_2014_Cropped.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chad Stahelski devant le Grand Rex pour l'avant-première de "John Wick 4", en mars 2023.](https://film.one/media/person/8426/gallery-1ed3e6c1760d.jpg) Chad Stahelski devant le Grand Rex pour l'avant-première de "John Wick 4", en mars 2023. — ManoSolo13241324, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Chad_Stahelski_Grand_Rex_2023.jpg/1280px-Chad_Stahelski_Grand_Rex_2023.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chad Stahelski](https://film.one/media/person/8426/gallery-c947ddf2609a.jpg) Chad Stahelski — Image via TMDB - ![Chad Stahelski](https://film.one/media/person/8426/gallery-e5304fc5c7f8.jpg) Chad Stahelski — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/chad-stahelski