Keanu Reeves’ career has been on a “most excellent” upswing over the past few years. The actor, who spent most of his post-Matrix career awkwardly popping up in romantic comedies or starring in critically panned genre films (47 Ronin anyone?), stunned audiences everywhere with the surprise 2014 hit John Wick. Now, just five years and two John Wick sequels later, Reeves is once more a Hollywood darling and may be ready to take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a recent Interview with BuzzFeed, Reeves was asked which Marvel or DC character he would love to play on the big screen, and the actor actually had an answer ready:
“When I was a kid, I always wanted to play Wolverine. So, Wolverine.”
Wolverine is an inspired choice, especially since Hugh Jackman just hung up his claws after playing the character for 17 years, and Disney is interested in rebooting the X-Men franchise sometime in the near future.
Sure, Reeves might be a little too tall to play a character as short as Wolverine, but his actual acting chops aren’t in question in the slightest. Though he’s known for his calm demeanor in person and on screen, it would be fun to watch such a reserved actor go big and let loose for the character’s signature Berserker Rage.
This isn’t the first time Reeves’ name has been brought up for a potential comic book film, either. For a short time, he was actually linked to play Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel, a role that eventually went to Jude Law. Reeves has rarely played a villain on film, so Yon-Rogg’s heel turn halfway through the movie may have hit harder had it actually featured the John Wick star.
While the current phase of Marvel Studios films is coming to a close this summer, we wouldn’t be shocked to see Wolverine pop-up in the franchise sooner rather than later. Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed this summer’s megahit Avengers: Endgame, have even expressed interest in bringing the mutant to the MCU after taking a small break from making $2 billion blockbusters. We’ll have to stay tuned to see if they bring Reeves along with them, but we’d certainly be all for it.