A headline saying actor Keanu Reeves rejected a $1.7 million movie offer by Marvel as a stand against “woke culture” is being shared as real news by social media users.

One Facebook post, opens new tab shared a screenshot with photos of Reeves and a Marvel logo and the caption: “Breaking: Keanu Reeves Rejects Marvel’s $1.7 Billion ‘Woke’ Movie Offer, Says ‘Woke Mind Virus Should Be Destroyed’ … Full story below.”

Reuters Image

The screenshot shows the headline and images from an article, opens new tab labeled as satire and published on April 1, 2024 by the Esspots website.
“Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire,” the Esspots “About Us, opens new tab” page says in part.
Reuters has previously addressed false headlines from Esspots and other websites describing celebrities rejecting, opens new tab “woke, opens new tab” collaborations, opens new tab.

There are no credible reports that Reeves recently rejected a $1.7 million movie offer from Marvel.
Representatives for Reeves and Marvel did not respond to requests for comment.
Satire. An article saying that actor Keanu Reeves rejected a $1.7 million offer from Marvel is satire.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.