After decades of success in the film industry, Keanu Reeves has hopped over to a new creative realm: comic books. The Matrix and John Wick star has been working with writer Matt Kindt and artist Ron Garney on BRZRKR, a limited series being published by Boom! Studios. While BRZRKR has only just kicked off its run, get ready to see a lot more of this property, as word’s come in that it’s being adapted for both TV and film.
Netflix has announced that it’s developing a live-action feature film and an anime spinoff series based on BRZRKR as part of the streaming service’s feature and animated first-look deal with Boom! Studios. Reeves will both star in and produce the former, and provide his voice for the latter. The movie will adapt the 12-issue comic book series, while the anime will explore other corners of the BRZRKR universe. BOOM!’s Ross Richie and Stephen Christy are also attached to produce, as is Company Films’ Stephen Hamel. Adam Yoelin from BOOM! will executive produce.
For those unfamiliar with BRZRKR, the comic book series follows the man known simply as B, a half-mortal/half-god who is “cursed and compelled to violence… even at the sacrifice of his sanity.” But after 80,000 years of walking the Earth, B may have finally found refuge by fighting battles for the U.S. government that are too violent or dangerous for anyone else to handle. In return, B will be granted the things he desires most: the truth about his “endless blood-soaked existence,” as well as how to end it.
There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding BRZRKR since it was first announced, with the first issue dropping on March 3 and selling over 615,000 copies, which is an amazing accomplishment for an indie publisher like Boom! Studios. Combine that success with Keanu Reeves’ star power, and it’s hardly surprising that Netflix wants to get in on the BRZRKR action. The BRZRKR live-action movie and anime series mark Reeves’ second and third time, respectively starring in an original project from the streaming service, as he played himself in the Ali Wong and Randall Park-led movie Always Be My Maybe.
BRZRKR is also yet another instance of Netflix deciding to build out original franchises across various projects. For instance, Zack Snyder’s next movie, Army of the Dead, hits the platform on May 21, but Netflix is already well into expanding that world full of the undead with a spinoff movie called Army of the Dead: The Prequel and an anime series called Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. It was also recently announced that 2018’s Bird Box is getting a Spanish-language spinoff.
So now we can add another entry on the list of upcoming Keanu Reeves projects. The actor recently wrapped production on The Matrix 4 (which comes out in December) and he’s now gearing up to work on both John Wick 4 and John Wick 5, as they’re shooting back-to-back. So it may be a while until the BRZRKR movie and anime series make their way to Netflix, but don’t be shocked if when they finally do arrive, they quickly become some of the service’s most popular offerings.
While we wait for more news about Netflix’s BRZRKR endeavors, keep a lookout for new issues of the comic book series digitally or at your local comic book store. You’re also welcome to keep track of what’s playing in theaters later this year with our upcoming 2021 movies guide.
