In Brad’s review of John Wick, he mentioned he wouldn’t be surprised to see star Keanu Reeves “start doing a lot of similar, lower budget action features a la Liam Neeson.” Well, it seems Reeves intends to do exactly that with the just-announced science fiction thriller Replicas, about a neuroscientist who will stop at nothing to bring back his deceased family, even if it means pitting himself against a government-controlled laboratory, a police task force, and the physical laws of science themselves. In short, it sounds totally bonkers.
Replicas, a joint project between Lotus Entertainment and di Bonaventura Pictures, was written by newcomer Chad St. John and will be directed by Tanya Wexler (Hysteria). Production is slated to begin next spring. From the press release:
Lotus Entertainment’s Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel said, “We loved the notion of taking the ‘how far will a man go to save his family’ story hook and then adding a high concept sci-fi twist. Keanu has obviously had a lot of success in the sci-fi genre and we are excited to have him anchoring a story which we believe will have great appeal to audiences across the globe.”
Director Wexler said, “I jumped at the opportunity to work with Keanu, Stephen, and Lorenzo. I love near-future sci-fi and have always been drawn to stories about scientists on the cutting edge of technology whether that’s three years from now or 130 years ago. These are the mavericks that change our lives. This is a story about one who goes to extremes with his own family and is forced to confront that question — how far is too far?”
Between the Matrix franchise and Constantine, Reeves is no stranger to the science fiction genre, though he hasn’t done much in recent years. However, people are raving about John Wick, and the Rotten Tomatoes consensus for Reeves’ latest states the film is “stylish, thrilling, and giddily kinetic,” so if the premise for Replicas is any indication, critics and audiences could wind up just as satisfied once they’ve laid eyes on it. “Giddily kinetic” might just be Keanu’s new best friend.
