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Netflix picks up Keanu Reeves' hit comic 'BRZRKR' for film adaptation, starring Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves is about to bring his first-ever hit comic book series to the screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reeves is set to both produce and star in a pair of Netflix projects, a feature film and an animated based on his comic BRZRKR, a dark fantasy saga about an immortal warrior who looks suspiciously like Keanu Reeves. The projects are poised to give the John Wick and Matrix star yet another major action franchise, this one based on a concept that came from his own mind.
Created with co-writer Matt Kindt and artist Ron Garney, BRZRKR is the story of a millenia-old warrior battling through the ages, doing job after job in the hope that one day he'll get the peace he's spent centuries longing for. Reeves developed the concept, then worked with Kindt to turned it into a 12-issue comics miniseries event. The comic debuted on Kickstarter last year to record-breaking fundraising before being published earlier this month by BOOM! Studios. The first issue of the comic sold more than half a million copies, which is good for any single-issue these days but especially good for a non-superhero title, setting the stage for a major franchise adaptation at Netflix.
The project is part of BOOM!'s ongoing first-look deal with Netflix, and comes at a time when the streaming giant is looking for more and more ways to launch franchises through multiple formats. The feature film version of BRZRKR will be a direct adaptation of Reeves, Kindt, and Garney's 12-issue series, while the anime will explore more of the wider BRZRKR universe.
The news comes at a particularly busy period for Reeves, who at 56 is still every bit the action movie giant. After shooting the fourth Matrix film last year, Reeves is set to move into production on a fourth John Wick film soon, and now he's got BRZRKR in the pipeline as well. Release dates for both adaptations have not yet been revealed, but it'll be exciting to see what Reeves does with material so close to his heart.
