Speed Racer
Here ’s every major pic part Keanu Reeves passed on . The beloved A - middle buster had amassed a fascinating body of work on the braggart concealment in the old age since he started acting in the mid-1980s - one that includes everything from iconic sci - fi photographic film to smash - hit action movies , rooter - pet funniness , and even an acclaimed William Shakespeare version . late , he ’s enjoy a resurgence in popularity thanks to his role as John Wick , leading to him being throw up as everything from a daredevil toy inToy Story quarto a impersonation of himself inAlways Be My Maybe .
Along the way , Reeves has ( by nature ) turned down his fairish share of films that would then lessen into maturation oblivion , like when he reportedly passed on play Kaneda in Warner Bros. ‘still - undo live - action adjustment ofAkira . He ’s also been in earnest considered for use that would go on to make big names of other actors , with the best - known illustration being when he was eyed to wreak Wolverine in Fox ’s original resilient - actionX - Menmovie prior to Hugh Jackman being cast . Ever the good sport , Reeves has always expressed support for those who ’ve beaten him out for a much - sought after part .
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For as many democratic motion picture as Reeves has starred in , he ’s still work down some fairly bad unity . Here ’s a rundown of all the major one he ’s extend on .
Platoon
Oliver Stone ’s 1986 Vietnam War dramaPlatoonnot only succeed four Oscars ( including Best Picture ) , it also showcased the acting talents of a lot of then up and comers , include Johnny Depp , John C. McGinley , and Charlie Sheen as its youthful hint Chris Taylor . In an audience withEWin 2011 , Stone confirmed he ’d offered the role of Chris to Reeves but the actor turn it down"because of the ferocity . He did n’t require to do violence . “It ’s a fiddling funny to think of the star of theJohn Wickmovies evanesce on a celluloid because of its violent content … though , to be fair , there ’s a real difference betweenthe sharpen nature of theJohn Wickuniverseand the grim realism of Stone ’s portrayal of the hell that is war .
Heat
Michael Mann ’s 1995 filmHeatis easilyone of the most influential crime thrillersproduced in the last twenty - five years thanks to its portmanteau word of highbrow visual storytelling and top - form performance by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino . The flick also well-nigh let in Reeves in a cardinal support role as Chris Shiherlis , a member of professional robber Neil McCauley ’s ( De Niro ) gang and a character who would end up being played by Val Kilmer . Instead , Reeves turned the part down and manoeuvre off to Winnipeg , Canada to go play Hamlet for a time of year at the Manitoba Theater Centre .
Speed 2: Cruise Control
After Jan de Bont ’s 1994 action - thrillerSpeedgrossed nearly 12 fourth dimension its budget at the box authority , it was only to be expected twentieth Century Fox would want to make a sequel . When interview byThe Telegraphin 2015 , Reeves explained that he take the playscript forSpeed 2 : Cruise Controlbut could n’t get onboard with the premise , fairly signal out"It ’s called ' pep pill ’ , and it ’s on a cruise ship’ . ”After he go , his grapheme from the first flick , LAPD SWAT police officer Jack Traven , was written out and replaced with a new one , SWAT Officer Alex Shaw , played by Jason Patric . It ended up being a sassy move on Reeves ' part : Speed 2was slammed by critics and fail at the box office when it opened in 1997 .
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Reeves andThe Matrixco - director Lana Wachowski are currently working together for the first clip since 2003’sThe Matrix Revolutionson , appropriately enough , the upcomingMatrix 4 . Of course , they nearly reunited between then and now on her and her sibling Lilly ’s live - actionSpeed Racermovie in 2008 . As Reeves explain toMTVin an interview published just over a month before the film premiere in theaters , the siblings had approached him about play Racer X , the mysterious mask automobile driver who send word Speed ( and is in secret his presumed - drained buddy ) , but he ended up passing for reason he did n’t get into . or else , Matthew Fox played the role andSpeed Racerwent on to bomb at the box power before gaining a religious cult following for its hyperreal style in the year after .
Watchmen
As part of the same interview withMTVin 2008 , Reeves also revealed he ’d been offered the role of Doctor Manhattan in Zack Snyder’sWatchmenmovie ( prior to Billy Crudup being form ) , but said things"didn’t work out . “One presumes he had to pass on Snyder ’s comic script adaption because it directly conflicted with his filming docket on Scott Derrickson’sThe Day the Earth Stood Stillremake in previous 2007 / former 2008 . Still , since both productions were based on Vancouver , Reeves was capable to chaffer theWatchmenset while it was shooting . Of the duad , onlyThe Day the Earth Stood Stillwould go on to become a commercial success , despite being heavily criticize for its tale incoherence . By comparison , 2009’sWatchmenwas a polarizing flop that , like so many of Snyder ’s movies , continues to urge on springy debates to this mean solar day .
Captain Marvel
According to Kevin Feige , Marvel Studios hasapproached Reeves about playing a role in the MCU"for almost every film we make . “There are a lot of rumors out there about thespecificMCU characters he ’s been eyed for in the past times , but one of the more credible ones claims he was line up to portray Carol Danvers ' Starforce commander and mentor Yon - Rogg ( a role Jude Law would go on to take on ) inCaptain Marvel . And while he had to turn it down because it conflict with output onJohn Wick : Chapter 3 - Parabellum , his on-going courtship with Marvel , combined with his near - casting as Doctor Manhattan and candid interest in returning tohis DC picture show part as John Constantine , suggests the actor has a existent soft spot for superhero projects in worldwide .
Hobbs & Shaw
On the subject of Reeves and apportion universe : last yr , when we interviewed him , Dwayne Johnson confirmed the worker had been eyeball to encounter ( or , rather , voice ) the the mysterious Director of the cyberterrorist organisation Eteon in the former ’s spinoff flick , Fast & Furious Presents : Hobbs & Shaw . In the remainder , Reeves passed after discussing the role with Johnsonand his quisling because , as The Rock told us,“it just did n’t experience correctly creatively . “Much like Feige and the MCU , Johnson ’s ultimate goal is to get Reeves to join theFast & Furiousoff - shoot in some capacity , so who bed : depending on how the actively - developingHobbs & Shaw 2shakes out , Reeves may end up play some other character - be they friend or foe to the titulary duo - in the sequel .
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