Moviefone Editorial

Tag: keanu-reeves

  • ‘John Wick’ Fans Can Visit The Continental Hotel Ahead of ‘Chapter 3’ Release

    ‘John Wick’ Fans Can Visit The Continental Hotel Ahead of ‘Chapter 3’ Release

    Lionsgate

    The third chapter in the “John Wick” series is set to hit theaters later this month, and to celebrate, Lionsgate is inviting fans to experience the luxury of the hotel where the titular hero hides out.

    Like the franchise itself, however, there are plenty of twists and turns that fans must endure to join the exclusive Continental Experience. The one-day-only pop-up takes place on May 10 in New York City at the actual shooting location for “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” featuring recreated interiors of the fictional Continental hotel.

    According to this, here are some of the surprises awaiting attendees of the immersive experience:”

    Fans of the John Wick saga can expect to see some familiar elements. The location is set in the real interior shooting location from ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.’ Inside, activations representing all three films will bring fans closer to the story than ever before. Hotel staff & characters will interact and perform, prizes will be given out, and there may even be some special guests stopping by.

    Entrance will be granted on an invite-only basis, with fans able to win access through several different avenues, including signing up for a special email list, finding actual prop coins from the film scattered across New York City, and using the CURB App in NYC yellow cabs. More information about the event can be found here.

    “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, and Laurence Fishburne, is due in theaters on May 17.

  • 15 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Matrix’ on its 20th Anniversary

    15 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Matrix’ on its 20th Anniversary

    Warner Bros.

    Considering how much it changed the face of blockbuster movies and the science fiction genre, it’s bizarre to think “The Matrix” is turning 20 years old. Time to down the red pill and learn some interesting facts about the making of this modern classic.

    1. The Wachowskis originally approached Will Smith in 1996 to star as Neo. Smith has since admitted he turned down the role because he didn’t understand the script and opted to star in “Wild Wild West” instead.

    2. In addition to Smith, the Wachowskis also approached Val Kilmer to play Morpheus.

    Warner Bros.

    3. The principal cast and crew members were required to read several philosophy books before seeing the screenplay, including Jean Baudrillard’s “Simulacra and Simulation.” That book can be seen on display in Thomas Anderson’s apartment early in the film.

    4. “The Matrix” wasn’t officially greenlit by WB until well into pre-production. It was only after hiring artists Steve Skroce and comic book legend Geoff Darrow to storyboard the film and visualize the mind-bending action scenes that executives signed off on the project.

    5. There’s a reason Neo’s fighting style in the first movie features far fewer kicking moves than in the sequels. Keanu Reeves was recovering from neck surgery during pre-production and didn’t have full use of his legs.

    6. Both Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss were injured during filming. Moss refused to tell anyone about her ankle injury for fear of losing the role.

    Warner Bros.

    7. The scenes where Neo first wakes up from his captivity in The Matrix were filmed last, as Reeves had to loose approximately 15 pounds and shave his head to achieve the necessary emaciated look for his character.

    8. Neo’s criminal record folder lists his birthplace as being “Capital City, USA.” While never overtly revealed in the films, the world simulated within the Matrix consists of a single, giant metropolis called Mega City.

    Warner Bros.

    9. Switch actress Belinda McCrory revealed that her character was originally intended to be played by a male actor in the real world and a female actress in the Matrix. This is one reason why the film has come to be viewed as an allegory for transgender identity.

    10. Even Neo might have been a woman had things worked out differently. Reeves’ “Speed” costar Sandra Bullock was approached to star in the film early on.

    Fox

    11. The Wachowskis cast numerous sets of twins as background extras for the “Woman in Red” sequence, as a subtle way of showing a computer program using recycled information.

    12. “The Matrix” is often compared to 1998’s “Dark City” in both story and visual style. As it turns out, many sets from “Dark City” were recycled for use in “The Matrix.”

    13. The main character in the DC Comics series “The Sandman” is also named Morpheus. The Wachowskis specifically instructed Laurence Fishburne to model his performance on that wise, inscrutable Morpheus.

    DC

    14. This is the only film in the series where Neo uses guns.

    15. “The Matrix” takes place over the course of 19 months. This is indicated by the timestamps of the phone traces seen in the beginning and end of the movie.

  • ‘The Matrix’ Almost Starred Sandra Bullock Instead of Keanu Reeves

    ‘The Matrix’ Almost Starred Sandra Bullock Instead of Keanu Reeves

    20th Century Fox

    Sandra Bullock could have been The One.

    The actress was briefly considered for the lead role in “The Matrix,” which eventually went to Keanu Reeves.

    Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura told The Wrap that Warner Bros. insisted on a major star to headline the 1999 film, since director duo the Wachowskis were relatively unproven. He said Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, and Bullock (who’d had a big hit with “Speed” alongside Reeves in 1994) were considered.

    “We went out to so many people, I don’t remember. We were getting desperate,” di Bonaventura said. “We went to Sandy Bullock and said ‘We’ll change Neo to a girl.’ [Producer] Joel Silver and I worked with Sandy on ‘Demolition Man’ and she was and continues to be a very good friend of mine. It was pretty simple. We sent her the script to see if she was interested in it. And if she was interested in it we would try to make the change.”

    He added, “It just wasn’t something for her at the time. So really it didn’t go anywhere.”

    Bullock told The Wrap (via a representative) that she didn’t recall the pitch for “The Matrix,” but said that the right person was cast in the end.

    That wasn’t the only role in “The Matrix” she was in line for. In 2009, she told “Today” that she was offered the role of Trinity and regretted not taking it. Carrie-Anne Moss eventually filled it.

    “It was sexy and great because of Carrie-Anne and Keanu,” Bullock said of the relationship between Trinity and Neo.

    Of course, “The Matrix” went on to become a huge hit and spawn two sequels, as well as becoming a major influence in cinema for its use of “bullet time” and martial arts-inflected fight scenes.

    Bullock also fared well, going on to star in hits like “Miss Congeniality,” “The Proposal,” and eventually “The Blind Side,” which netted her an Oscar.

  • Excellent! ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ Gets Summer 2020 Release Date

    Excellent! ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ Gets Summer 2020 Release Date

    Orion Pictures

    Party on, dudes! Bill and Ted’s third excellent adventure is coming soon.

    “Bill & Ted Face the Music” has started production, 30 years after Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter first debuted as time-traveling slackers and rockers Theodore “Ted” Logan and William “Bill” S. Preston Esq.

    And the movie now has a release date: August 21, 2020.

    “We want to say thank you to you the fans,” Reeves said in an announcement video.

    Winter added, “We owe you a huge debt of gratitude.”

    Following 1989’s “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and the 1991 sequel “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” the story catches up to the now-middle-aged best friends — and, yes way, dads! — as they encounter a a visitor from the future. They’re warned that only their song can save life as we know it and bring harmony to the universe. Along the way, they will be helped by their families, old friends and a few music legends.

  • 21 Underrated Teen Movies You Should Revisit

    21 Underrated Teen Movies You Should Revisit

  • 13 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’

    13 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’

    30 years ago, we were introduced to Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Theodore “Ted” Logan. These  two lovable slackers were destined to save the world through the power of rock and roll, but only if they could pass history class first. Their most excellent message of peace and love resonates just as strongly today, so let’s celebrate the anniversary of “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” with some fun facts you might not know about this sci-fi comedy classic.

    1. While the movie is set in San Dimas, California, most of the filming took place in several different towns in Arizona. Bogus!

    2. The iconic telephone booth was eventually given away as a prize by the magazine “Nintendo Power” as part of the promotion for the “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” video game.

    LJN

    3. Earlier drafts of the screenplay included other historical figures who didn’t make the final cut, including baseball legend Babe Ruth and Roman Emperor Charlemagne.

    4. The film’s release was delayed a year after original production company De Laurentiis Entertainment Group went bankrupt. Actor Bernie Casey (who played Mr. Ryan, the history teacher) was required to dub over one of his lines so that he said “1988” instead of “1987.”

    Orion Pictures

    5. Originally, Rufus’ time machine was going to take the form of a Chevrolet van, but this was changed in order to distance the film from 1985’s “Back to the Future.” Unfortunately, that merely invited comparisons to “Doctor Who’s” TARDIS instead. Whoops.

    6. The word “dude” is spoken no fewer than 70 times during the course of the movie.

    7. The movie features an interesting temporal paradox. Rufus never actually introduces himself to Bill and Ted, instead allowing their older selves to introduce him to their younger selves. So how did Bill and Ted ever learn his name the first time around?

    Orion Pictures

    8. Director Stephen Herek saved money during the flashback to Napoleon’s time period by reusing footage from 1956’s “War and Peace.”

    9. The popular punk band The Ataris paid homage to the movie with a song called “San Dimas High School Football Rules!”.

    10. Brendan Fraser and Pauly Shore tried out for the roles of Bill and Ted, respectively. While neither actor either got the part, they did eventually team up for 1992’s “Encino Man.” Squeezin’ the juices, indeed.

    Buena Vista Pictures

    11. A popular rumor claims that stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter originally tried out for each other’s role, but Winter has denied this. He did admit, however, that he and Reeves often got their characters confused because of their strikingly similar personalities.

    12. Winter also shot down the rumor that the script for a proposed third “Bill & Ted” movie was reworked to become 1996’s “Bio-Dome.”

    MGM

    13. Fortunately, a third “Bill & Ted” movie is finally happening. Reeves and Winter are both returning for “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” which began pre-production in May 2018.

  • First ‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’ Trailer Puts Keanu Reeves Into Survival Mode

    First ‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’ Trailer Puts Keanu Reeves Into Survival Mode

    Lionsgate

    Everyone wants John Wick dead.

    The first trailer for “John Wick 3: Parabellum,” the third film in the franchise, finds the titular hitman (Keanu Reeves) in a brutal and bloody battle for his life. At the end of “Chapter 2,” John was declared ex-communicado for committing the cardinal sin of killing at the Continental, the hotel for assassins. Now, there’s a $14 million price on his head.

    But he’s not alone in his fight for survival, as a woman from his past named Sofia (Halle Berry) lends her considerable skills to help him.

    It wouldn’t be a “John Wick” movie without some insane action setpieces, of which we see flashes in the trailer — including one involving Reeves riding a horse. The third movie looks even more intense and moody than its predecessors, with lots of rainy night sequences.

    “John Wick 3: Parabellum” opens in theaters May 17.

  • ‘John Wick 3’ Teases Swords, More Badassery Ahead of New Trailer

    ‘John Wick 3’ Teases Swords, More Badassery Ahead of New Trailer

    As if we weren’t hyped enough already, a new trailer for “John Wick 3: Parabellum” drops Thursday.

    In the meantime, enjoy this very brief teaser in which we get a glimpse of an all-business Keanu Reeves running in the rain and wielding a big gun, Laurence Fishburne, and — whoa! — motorcyclists with swords?

    The movie opens May 17, which can’t get here fast enough.

  • Keanu Reeves Will Play an ‘Edgy’ Toy in ‘Toy Story 4’

    Keanu Reeves Will Play an ‘Edgy’ Toy in ‘Toy Story 4’

    Lionsgate

    As if we weren’t excited enough for “Toy Story 4,” the news that Keanu Reeves has a “great part” in it has us even more amped.

    Tim Allen dropped that tidbit Wednesday on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

    Allen, who returns as Buzz Lightyear, shared, “They really will surprise you with the toys they came up with. Characters came back, new guys in it that are great. Keanu Reeves has got a great part.”

    He didn’t say exactly what role Reeves would be playing, except that the character “has an edge.” (Could it be a John Wick action figure? Probably not. But no one better hurt Slinky Dog around him!)

    Allen added that Reeves had to tone down his voicework as it was too intense.

    “Even he said — gentle, wonderful guy that he is — ‘This sounds too much like Buzz Lightyear,’” said Allen. “And his character does have an edge to that. And the guy said, ‘So we calmed him down a little bit,’ and they reminded me his toy is only that big.”

    Smaller than Woody and Buzz? That could be one of those Green Army Men, except we doubt they’d create another character similar to the late R. Lee Ermey‘s Sarge.

    This will be Reeves’s first voice role in a big-studio animated film. (He appeared in Richard Linklater’s animated indie “A Scanner Darkly.”)

    Reeves joins the returning cast and new characters voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

    “Toy Story 4” opens on June 21, 2019. Can’t wait!

    And Reeves will be back as unstoppable hitman John Wick in “John Wick 3: Parabellum” on May 17, 2019.

    [Via Deadline]

  • Keanu Reeves Horses Around in New ‘John Wick 3’ Photo

    Keanu Reeves Horses Around in New ‘John Wick 3’ Photo

    Keanu Reeves as John Wick
    Lionsgate

    Animals are thinkin’ they’re back too. We first met Keanu Reeves‘ John Wick as he was getting revenge for his dog, and now apparently there’s a whole menagerie in play — including at least one horse.

    Director Chad Stahelski told Empire that “John Wick 3: Parabellum” includes..

    “…horses, dogs, cats, a raven, a bunch of pigeons, a motorcycle chase, car chase, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, shotguns, and ninjas.”

    Fantastic. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Dolittle movie was just delayed, but it sounds like John Wick is picking up that baton for Spring 2019.

    “John Wick 3” has been filming for a while, and set videos already showed Reeves riding a horse through the dark streets of New York City. He even shoots a gun from the horse while being chased by someone on a motorcycle.

    But those were unofficial set shots. Now Empire has an official photo:

    John Wick 3: Parabellum
    Lionsgate, via Empire

     

    Lookin’ good, man. Director Chad Stahelski already mentioned some of the human stars of the film, and official photos have been shared of returning stars Laurence Fishburne and Ian McShane, plus Halle Berry in the new role of Sofia.

    “John Wick 3” picks up directly from “John Wick 2,” which left John in quite the pickle. Here’s the new movie’s synopsis:

    “John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run for two reasons… he’s being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life, and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds. The victim was a member of the High Table who ordered the open contract. John should have already been executed, except the Continental’s manager, Winston, has given him a one-hour grace period before he’s ‘Excommunicado’ – membership revoked, banned from all services and cut off from other members. John uses the service industry to stay alive as he fights and kills his way out of New York City.”

    “John Wick 3: Parabellum” is scheduled for release in theaters on May 17th, 2019. More details will be in this week’s edition of Empire.

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