2020 was shaping up to be a banner year for Keanu Reeves, with the highly anticipated John Wick 4, The Matrix 4, and Bill & Ted Face the Music all set to release, the ageless actor has a ton of projects coming down the pipeline. But now that coronavirus concerns have put the release of those projects in limbo, with years-long delays having already been announced, Reeves has apparently decided to add another credit to his resumé in the meantime - that of a comic book writer.
Boom! Studios recently announced an upcoming series co-written by Reeves, BRZRKR, which the star not only helped to pen, but also seems to star in, considering the uncanny resemblance between the actor and the comic's protagonist. Co-written by New York Times bestselling author Matt Kindt, and with art by Alessandro Vitti, the 12-issue limited series promises an epic, ultra-violent tale of a seemingly indestructible warrior and his adventures throughout time.
The announcement from Boom! comes with the following synopsis:
The man known only as Berzerker is half-mortal and half-God, cursed and compelled to violence…even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the world for centuries, Berzerker may have finally found a refuge – working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, Berzerker will be granted the one thing he desires – the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence…and how to end it.
Eager fans can get an early look at the series during an online July 26 Comic-Con@Home panel, which will showcase never-before-seen art from the books, as well as behind-the-scenes info on the creation of the project. "I have loved comics since I was a young kid and they have been a significant influence on me artistically," Reeves said in the series's announcement. BRZRKR #1 is set to release both in print and digitally in October.
This won't be the first time Reeves has dipped his toe in the comic book pool. In 2005, he played the tormented occult detective John Constantine in the aptly titled film Constantine, based off of DC Comics' Hellblazer series. And that interpretation of the character actually became official DC canon not too long ago. Reeves has even said that he's dying to reprise his role as the hard-drinking, heavy-smoking, demon-slaying investigator, if given the opportunity.
With so many high profile projects on his slate having been pushed back indefinitely, Keanu Reeves fans will at least have BRZRKR to look forward to later this year. And considering the fact that Reeves seems keen to play a comic book character again - coupled with the fact that the character of Berserker looks exactly like him - it's not unlikely that there are plans for a film adaptation somewhere down the road. But as of right now, that's just speculative. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how Reeve's adapted to the graphic medium when the books begin releasing in just a few months.