Keanu Reeves is scheduled to appear in the first ever major TV role of his career at some point in the near future. He was recently confirmed for a leading part in The Devil in the White City, an upcoming limited thriller series that will be produced for Hulu by Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Reeves has built his reputation in Hollywood as a star of the big screen, most notably with his roles in the John Wick and The Matrix series of films. The fourth John Wick movie is currently in post-production, and is scheduled for release in March 2023.

The picture was originally scheduled to premiere mid-last year, but production was postponed, partially due to Reeves’ participation in the latest Matrix release last December.

The Matrix Resurrections was the fourth film in the franchise, and saw the actor return in the iconic role of Neo / Thomas Anderson. Despite being a box office bomb, Resurrections was a critical success, and there have already been noises of a fifth installment.

Whether Reeves will reprise the character or not, he knew he wanted to play the part the first time he read the script.

Keanu Reeves Was Not The Producers’ First Choice For Neo In ‘The Matrix’

The Matrix creators, Lana and Lilly Wachowski have famously admitted that Will Smith was their first choice to play the part of Neo in the original film. They approached him with the idea, but the Independence Day star failed to understand the concept.

Will Smith therefore turned down their offer, and instead went ahead to star in Wild Wild West, which turned out to be a huge flop – both critically and commercially. The actor has since confirmed that it is a decision he is not very proud of to date.

The Wachowskis would go through a few other names before finally turning to Keanu Reeves. Nicolas Cage was one of those approached next. He also refused the part, although he argued that this was partly due to some family obligations.

Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer were two other names who passed on playing Neo. In 2019, Smith said of the Wachowskis’ pitch to him: “As it turns out they’re geniuses. But there’s a fine line between genius and what I experienced in the meeting.”

What Did Keanu Reeves Think When He Read ‘The Matrix’ Script?

While other actors appeared to struggle to process the story that the Wachowskis were trying to tell in The Matrix, Keanu Reeves was immediately sold on the script. He spoke about this process in an extensive interview about his career back in 2008.

Asked whether he immediately recognized the global potential carried in the story, he said: “I didn’t know how other people were going to receive it, but I knew how I did. I was absolutely taken with it.”

Reeves explained how he couldn’t believe that no one had ever thought to create the unique blend of action and sci-fi that he saw in the script.

“The construct… you know, the platform that they had of reality and what you perceive of reality from a science fiction aspect, the idea of the agents – and then there was kung-fu thrown in! It was like, ‘How come no one else ever thought of this? It’s just so perfect,’” he said.

Reeves was also full of praise for the Wachowskis, describing their ideas for the film as being ‘visionary.’

How Did Keanu Reeves React To A Poor Reception For ‘The Matrix’ Sequels?

Keanu Reeves’ faith in The Matrix was very well vindicated when – out of a $63 million budget – the film raked in almost $470 million at the box office. The movie was also nominated for four Oscars, and won every single one of them.

On top of all that, the critical reception was very positive, with different reviews describing it as ‘spectacular [and] groundbreaking,’ as well as ‘the most influential action movie of the generation.’

This success prompted the creation of two sequels in quick succession: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were both released in 2003. Although they also hit the ball out of the park in box office numbers, they were not received with as much acclaim as the original picture.

According to Reeves, that was the audience’s prerogative, although he carried a different opinion. “I don’t mind someone not liking a film – just as long as they give me some good reasons,” he said. “I saw The Matrix Revolutions the other day and it’s unbelievable how much story and action and ideas are in there.”