Keanu Reeves gets a bad rap. It’s really easy to typecast him as a boring surfer dude with no emotion, but the fact of the matter is that in the right roles Reeves has shined, like in Point Break, Bill & Ted, and in the Matrix films. Sure he signs on for roles that just plain aren’t for him sometimes, but when he shows up for the right job, Reeves always pulls out an enjoyable performance.

Still, there's always time to make a change, and now in his 40s Reeves is looking forward to making his directorial debut with Man of Tai Chi, a movie he wrote and will also star in, according to The Wrap. We don't know much beyond the fact that he’ll star as the film’s villain, but it will be a martial arts film with stacks of action so high you can’t see the tops of them. Looking to revisit all of his training from The Matrix, where he learned nearly 200 martial arts move for the film, Reeves recently wrapped up 47 Ronin where he stars as a samurai looking for vengeance after his master’s murder, and will be following that up with Man of Tai Chi as long as he can line up the funding.

He is currently in negotiations with Village Roadshow and China Film Group, with whom he will hopefully get financing nailed down so they can get going with this soon as possible. No projected start date has been announced.

See Reeve’s in 47 Ronin next November and see whether or not the 46-year-old still has what it takes to be a kung fu master.