Anna Daniels
After roles in varied projects like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and an adaptation of Bram Stroker’s Dracula, Keanu dipped a toe into full-fledged action films with Speed (though he ultimately turned down the sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control to tour with his band and perform in Shakespearean adaptations like Hamlet rather than taking an enormous paycheck). Before long, though, the Wachowskis came calling with The Matrix – and Reeves’ career changed overnight thanks to his role as Neo, a young man called to leave the computer simulation of the Matrix only to discover that he’s the mysterious “One” destined to save humanity from the machines. Throughout the original trilogy, Reeves cemented himself as a bonafide star, but he had a few rocky years that followed his Matrix success.
In the midst of Matrix mania and shortly thereafter, Reeves made a string of poorly received films like Sweet November, 47 Ronin, and The Watcher. Though he appeared in critically acclaimed projects like Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly, nothing was quite as successful as The Matrix franchise. During his down time, Reeves stepped behind the camera, making his directorial debut with The Man of Tai Chi in 2013.
Luckily, Reeves found himself reconnecting to the world of The Matrix when he reunited with Chad Stahelski years later for the John Wick series. Like the Matrix trilogy had done for Reeves’ career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stahelski’s John Wick franchise restored Reeves to his full action glory. Reeves insisted on doing most of his own stunt work for the first film, which received glowing reviews from critics and fans, both of whom clamored for more. Stahelski and Reeves obliged, producing two more John Wick films and taking the chance to deepen the incredibly detailed world created by writer Derek Kolstad.
Thanks in large part to John Wick, Reeves is firmly back on Hollywood’s A-list, and he remains as charming as ever. A truly beloved celebrity for decades (who’s reportedly also a very nice guy), he’s even found time to laugh at himself in between his stone-faced role as John Wick. In 2019, Reeves lampooned his own image in Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe, playing an over-the-top version of himself who becomes Ali Wong’s self-absorbed celebrity boyfriend that spars with her would-be suitor played by Randall Park.
There’s no denying that Reeves is once again back at the top of his game, and is seemingly better than he’s ever been before. It’s not surprising that fourth installments of the John Wick and Matrix franchises are coming our way in 2021, given how well-loved Reeves is and how critically and commercially successful both have been. It remains to be seen whether either Summit and Lionsgate (which own John Wick) or Warner Bros. (which owns The Matrix) will stand down and change the release date for either of the upcoming films, but having both movies debut on May 21 of that year just might be a perfect opportunity to celebrate all things Reeves. The internet’s collective boyfriend will surely drive fans out in droves, so neither studio should suffer too much if a Reeves-versus-Reeves box office showdown does end up happening.
For now, expect both John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Matrix 4 to arrive in theaters on May 21, 2021.
Written by: Looper
