Keanu Reeves on New Book Inspired by Death, ‘The Matrix’ 25th Anniversary & Cracking His Kneecap in New Comedy
59-year-old Keanu Reeves has been quite busy lately. According to IMDb, he has seven projects in the works, he’s promoting his first novel called The Book of Elsewhere, and he is celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of his most beloved films, The Matrix.
The Book of Elsewhere is out now and was written by Reeves and author China Miéville. It follows a warrior known as “B” who cannot be killed but now wants to be able to die. The description reads, in part, “In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.”
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Reeves said that he was inspired by some of the action roles he’s played including the popular John Wick. It is also based on the BRZRKR comic book series created by Reeves. He admitted to thinking about death all the time and said, “Hopefully it’s not crippling, but hopefully it’s sensitized [us] to an appreciation of the breath we have, and the relationships that we have the potential to have.”
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While out promoting his new book, Reeves has also been celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Matrix, adding, “The Matrix changed my life. And then, over these years, it’s changed so many other peoples’ lives in really positive and great ways.” He continued, “As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story. And so when you say these years and the amount of people I’ve met who have said to me and been touched by The Matrix in such a positive way … it’s the best.”
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Reeves is gearing up for some new films, including the upcoming comedy Good Fortune, also starring Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen. Reeves was seen on set using crutches and admitted that he was filming a scene with Ansari and Rogen in a cold plunge when he hurt his knee pretty badly.
Remind He explained, “I’m doing the cold shuffle in this room that had protective carpets down and then, just here, there was like a little pocket, and my foot got caught in the pocket in the shuffle, and then I went [down], but [my knee] didn’t follow. And then, in slow motion, I went falling. My arms came out, but then my knee failed because it’s got some stuff, and I spiked it. And my patella — kneecap — cracked like a potato chip.” He joked, “Comedy’s hard, man.” Good Fortune currently does not have a release date.
Everett Collection
Last but not least, Reeves is set to reunite with his Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure co-star Alex Winter in the Broadway show Waiting for Godot. This will be Reeves’ Broadway debut in the show set to premiere in 2025. It is a philosophical play that follows characters Estragon (Reeves) and Vladimir (Winter) in discussions as they wait for someone named Godot. The most recent production starred Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.
What’s your favorite Keanu Reeves film?
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