In the latest example of how Keanu Reeves can do virtually anything, Deadline reported on Monday that the John Wick star is in talks to lead a “live-action hybrid” Lego movie. It would find Reeves reuniting with director Josh Cooley; the pair worked together on Toy Story 4, in which Reeves voiced the daredevil toy Duke Caboom, a parody of an Evel Knievel toy.
According to Deadline, Universal developed its new Lego movie with Reeves in mind after not greenlighting any other Lego scripts since acquiring the rights in 2020. Bringing in Cooley helped the film secure Reeves. The pairing’s first outing was a massive success as Toy Story 4 made over $1 billion at the box office. Did we need it, or the newly released Toy Story 5? Probably not, but the kids want what the kids want.
Lego has had several successful ventures on the big screen. The Lego Movie kicked things off in 2014 and was well received on its way to over $470 million at the box office. Its 2019 sequel financially underperformed, though it was still enjoyed by viewers. The Lego Batman Movie was a hit, and somehow became one of the best depictions of The Dark Knight around. (And his Lego games aren’t too shabby either.)
Previous Lego movies were almost entirely animated, whereas Reeves and Cooley’s Lego flick will be “a mix of live-action and animation.” As plot details haven’t been revealed yet, it’s not immediately clear what that mix would entail. Might Reeves find himself as a human in an animated Lego world, à la The Minecraft Movie? Will he voice a Lego figure come to life in the real world?
As both The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part featured characters from franchises like DC Comics, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings, you have to hope Reeves’ Lego movie will have some crossovers as well. Licensing agreements could prevent that, but Reeves meeting Lego-ized characters he played, like Neo, John Wick, and Ted “Theodore” Logan, would be too much fun.
Reeves has carved out quite the career, with roles ranging from an exaggerated version of himself in Always Be My Maybe to killing hundreds of dudes across five John Wick films. Next on the docket is voicing Shadow the Hedgehog again in Sonic the Hedgehog 4.
