Keanu Reeves can currently be heard on screen as a toy, and now he’s gearing up to play with toys once again. The Matrix and John Wick star, currently appearing as Duke Caboom in Toy Story 5, is in negotiations to star in a hybrid live-action and animated movie set in the world of Lego.
Deadline broke the news of the project, which will be directed by Josh Cooley. Cooley spent most of his career rising through the ranks at Pixar, ultimately directing Toy Story 4 in 2019. That film introduced Reeves’ stuntman toy and solidified the bond between the two men. Cooley then went on to make the incredible and underrated Transformers One, showing that his talent as an animation director isn’t contained within the walls at Pixar.
According to the trade, Universal, which currently holds the rights to the Lego brand, has reportedly been developing a bunch of different Lego ideas and reaching out to various stars about them. Reeves was a long shot, but when he expressed interest, the studio brought in Cooley, and that sold the actor on starring.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on what the movie is about, only that it will blend live-action and animation. There’s also no word on whether Reeves himself will appear in the film or only provide his voice. However, since it’s apparently been a huge deal to work with the actor on the idea, we’d imagine it’s for more than just a voice.
News of the project is a big deal on a larger scale, too. Universal won a five-year deal to make Lego films just under five years ago, so there was a danger of the rights lapsing soon. With this film taking shape, though, that’s not likely to happen.
Those are the facts, but what is the fantasy? What do you imagine a Keanu Reeves live action-animation hybrid Lego movie from Josh Cooley could be? I’d love to see something slightly meta, with Reeves as himself stuck in a world filled with Lego versions of all his classic films. Imagine John Wick, The Matrix, Bill and Ted, Speed, Point Break, Constantine, and others as Lego. Surely that’s a legal rights disaster, but it’s the first thing that came to mind. What do you think?
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