Over the years, Marvel has populated its sprawling cinematic universe with an extraordinarily
talented cast of actors and actresses, but the studio has still never quite been able
to grab Keanu Reeves for a role.
And that's not for lack of trying, either.
So just why hasn't Reeves shown up in the MCU so far?
Everyone knows Marvel likes to lock lead actors into hefty multi-picture deals, such as Chadwick
Boseman's reported five-film contract and Sebastian Stan's whopping nine-movie deal.
And while signing a Marvel movie contract comes with many, many perks, there's no denying
that agreeing to film half a dozen movies over the course of a few years definitely
cuts down on the number of other projects an actor can take on.
Other actors like John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have previously discussed the projects
they wouldn't have been able to make if they'd taken a role in the MCU, and it's possible
that Reeves has had this on his mind whenever Marvel approaches him about a role.
In this case, it's likely that Reeves' reluctance to join the MCU is less about what Marvel
is offering him, and more about the roles and opportunities he could be forced to give up.
One such role could be the third installment in the Bill & Ted franchise.
Although Bill & Ted Face the Music is currently filming, a third movie in the beloved '80s
franchise has been on Reeves' to-do list for "a long time."
"Excellent!"
Since at least 2010, Reeves has been openly discussing his hopes of making a Bill & Ted
threequel, but the film has taken years to get off the ground.
And even once the movie finally looked as though it might finally move into production,
the journey hasn't been without its obstacles,
particularly in the financing and creative rights department.
With Bill & Ted 3 on such shaky ground, Reeves may have been reluctant to make a commitment
to Marvel that would have made Face the Music even harder to schedule.
If making this movie was indeed such a high priority for him, it makes sense that he wouldn't
have wanted to hand over such a large chunk of his time and energy to Marvel before it
was finalized.
No one expected the first John Wick movie to spawn such a successful franchise, least
of all Keanu Reeves.
When Reeves and Chad Stahelski were initially shopping around the script for the first film,
they were given a hard no by pretty much every studio in Hollywood.
When they finally did get to make the movie, it was done on a relatively tight budget of
$20 million.
Many of the artistic choices in John Wick, including the long takes and close-up combat,
were made due to budget constraints, as the production couldn't afford multiple cameras
or fancy editing.
But despite low expectations, John Wick went on to be successful enough to justify two
sequels, with another on the way.
The Bill & Ted and Matrix films aside, Reeves isn't typically a franchise actor, and the
only other movie he's worked on since the birth of the MCU that hasn't been a standalone
was Toy Story 4.
Of course, John Wick wasn't intended to be any different.
But considering the runaway success of the John Wick films and Reeves' ongoing involvement
as the titular assassin, Reeves may not want to sign up for another major film franchise
until he wraps up the franchise he's already in.
In fact, that's exactly why he turned down the part of Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel, because
he had to work on John Wick 3.
So the bad guy part went to Jude Law instead, and Reeves remained tantalizingly out of reach
for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a surprising development that practically no one saw coming, Variety broke the story
in August 2019 that, 16 years after The Matrix: Revolutions seemingly concluded the Matrix
trilogy, Reeves and co-star Carrie-Anne Moss would be reuniting with director Lana Wachowski
to shoot a fourth Matrix film.
"Whoa."
This film will be helmed only by Lana, without her sister Lilly, with whom she co-directed
the first three Matrix films.
Rumors of a new Matrix movie have been swirling around for a few years, but most signs seemed
to point to a reboot of the popular franchise centering a new character, not a sequel with
the original cast.
However, now it's clear that Wachowski's script will once again follow Reeves' and Moss' characters
Neo and Trinity, it makes sense that Reeves would want to keep his schedule wide open.
With production now slated to ramp up in 2020, the new Matrix film will keep Reeves occupied
well into Phase 4 of the MCU, which may explain why he hasn't been eager to jump on board
the Marvel train just yet.
But it's not just his long slate of upcoming projects that could be keeping Reeves too
busy to enter the MCU.
Reeves is a man of many interests and talents, and he's dabbled in a variety of professions
throughout the years.
In 2011, when the MCU was first gathering steam, Keanu was starting the Arch Motorcycle Company.
Reeves has been a diehard motorcycle enthusiast for over three decades, with an extensive
personal collection of much-loved bikes that he's carefully curated over the years.
Arch allows him to feed his passion for motorcycles, creating custom high-end bikes that can carry
price tags of over $120,000, and which Reeves is clearly tremendously proud of.
Outside of acting and motorcycles, Reeves has also played bass in the band Dogstar,
written and published books with artist Alexandra Grant, and produced a number of films.
Now, it's not unheard of for MCU actors to carve out time to pursue other endeavors,
just look at Jeremy Renner's singing career and Mark Ruffalo's tireless work against climate change.
But it can't be easy to balance outside interests with the strenuous demands of an MCU contract.
With so many irons in the fire, Reeves may enjoy the freedom of not being locked into
a multi-year Marvel contract.
Even if he's still able to squeeze everything in around any potential superhero gig, the
stress of juggling them all may make it difficult to actually enjoy any of them.
And if you're not enjoying your passion projects, what's the point of doing them at all?
Beyond the demands of their long contracts, MCU actors also live under constant and relentless
public scrutiny.
In addition to starring in the movies themselves, they're expected to engage in extensive promotion
for Marvel's films, answering the same questions over and over for a never-ending parade of
journalists and talk show hosts.
And while Reeves is an A-list star already, the notoriously private and introverted actor
may be daunted by the idea of throwing himself into the MCU limelight.
Speaking about Reeves to GQ, John Wick Chapter 2 actor Peter Stormare has said:
"He's a loner...They think he's putting on some kind of a fake face, when he's stuttering,
giving interviews on the red carpet, and he looks away and looks uncomfortable.
But he really is."
Considering just how many red carpets Marvel actors have to walk, it's possible that Reeves
has decided that being a part of the MCU just isn't worth being forced to spend so much
time in the public eye.
Due to Marvel's reliance on returning cast members and their movies' demanding production
schedule, the studio has never been particularly eager to take risks when it comes to its stars.
Not only could injury-induced production delays throw their entire multi-year plan off track,
but the cost of insuring its A-list stars while they perform their own stunts would
be astronomical.
Because of this, Marvel actors are contractually prohibited from doing the bulk of their own
stunt work.
But Reeves is known for doing most of his own stunts, and may indeed be turned off by
Marvel's hardline policy.
Speaking about John Wick: Chapter 3, director and former Reeves stunt double Chad Stahelski
told GQ:
"If you've got an actor who can ride horses, ride motorcycles, do fight scenes, why not?
I made a list of every skill Keanu has, we sat down and I said, 'Give me everything you
can do really well.'
And we put all that in the movies."
Now that he's accustomed to action movies that play to his physical strengths and allow
him to showcase his considerable action skills, it wouldn't be surprising if being hamstrung
by a studio contract seems less than appealing to Reeves.
Then there's the chance that Marvel has been offering him roles that aren't exactly super physical
For example, Reeves may have made a great Collector, Everett K. Ross, or even Stephen
Strange, but none of those roles would've tapped into the sort of physicality the actor
is known for.
After all, it would be a bit of a letdown, for both the audience and for Reeves himself,
if the actor known for doing 90 percent of his action scenes in stunt-heavy movies finally
took a role in the MCU, and ended up just standing there and waving his hands for most
of the time.
Being the huge fan of comic books that he is, there's a good chance that the reason
Reeves has been reluctant to take a role in the MCU is because he's holding out for the
chance to play one specific character.
In fact, there are a number of roles within the Marvel universe that Reeves would be well-suited to play.
Adam Warlock, the perfect being teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,
could be a good fit for Reeves, who, let's face it, is often rumored to be perfect himself.
Another option might be Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four.
Disney recently reclaimed the Fantastic Four from Fox, and with Tony Stark gone after the
events of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has a space open for a new scientist hero.
Along with the Fantastic Four comes the alien antagonist-turned-ally Silver Surfer, who
could also provide a meaty role for Reeves.
Or maybe Reeves wants to play Ghost Rider, a character that he's always been a fan of,
and one that would allow him to bring his love of motorcycles to the MCU.
While this character was already introduced in the TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,
it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the character was recast for the big screen, especially
if Marvel could pull in an actor of Reeves' caliber to play him.
Keanu Reeves has also told MTV in the past that one of his favorite comic stories is
Frank Miller's run of Wolverine.
Due to Marvel's sale of the rights to the X-Men to Fox in the '90s, mutants have never
appeared in the MCU so far.
That may be about to change with Disney's recent acquisition of Fox.
At San Diego Comic Con in 2019, Kevin Feige recently hinted that mutants were indeed on
the horizon for the MCU, which may be exactly what Reeves has been waiting for.
Reeves told MTV:
"I always wanted to play Wolverine.
I missed that one."
With mutants now finally headed to the MCU, Reeves may finally get his chance to sport
a set of adamantium claws.
At the end of the day, however, the MCU may just have nothing to offer Keanu Reeves, a
man who is already one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, who cares very little
about money, and who is, by all accounts, a genuinely good person who frequently goes
out of his way to make the world a better place for others.
"The feeling of being there, of walking the streets of the future, is really going to
be breathtaking."
"You're breathtaking!"
Acting in the MCU can give a huge boost to an actor's career, catapulting them from relative
unknowns to some of the most sought-after names in Hollywood practically overnight.
But for an actor like Reeves, who is already a household name with enough star power to
pursue pretty much any project he wants to make, that may not be much of an incentive
to sign up for a decade-long contract with Marvel.
Similarly, Reeves doesn't exactly need the MCU to endear him to the many fans who already
love him.
Marvel actors are expected to be heroes both off and on the big screen, but Reeves doesn't
exactly need a studio contract to prompt him to be generous and kind, and he's consistently
reported to be among the nicest people anyone could ever have the pleasure of meeting.
"You're breathtaking!
You're all breathtaking!"
And that's the crux of it: why play a superhero when you're already one in real life?
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