MTV Movies Blog » Keanu Reeves Says He Turned Down ‘Watchmen’ And ‘Speed Racer’ Roles

Keanu Reeves Says He Turned Down ‘Watchmen’ And ‘Speed Racer’ Roles

Published by Josh Horowitz on Monday, March 31, 2008 at 1:01 pm.

Clearly Keanu Reeves has become perhaps THE go-to guy for cool sci-fi/genre properties in recent years (funny how a mega-blockbuster trilogy like “The Matrix” will help something like that). By the end of the year Keanu is going to add Klaatu to his roster of iconic roles in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, but there could have been even more on his geek-friendly resume. Just the other day he admitted to MTV News that there were two other high-profile roles he recently turned down, in the form of Dr. Manhattan AND Racer X!

Yes, Reeves confirmed the long whispered of rumors that he’d been offered the role of Dr. Manahattan in Zack Snyder’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of “Watchmen.” Saying he was absolutely interested in the role but had to pass because it simply “didn’t work out,” Reeves still expressed his enthusiasm for the “Watchmen” project.

“I went to the set,” he recalled. “They were shooting in Vancouver while we were filming so I went over to the set to say, ‘hi.’ They showed me some stuff and it looks amazing! I can’t wait. It’s going to be so killer, man!”

As for re-teaming with the Wachowskis on “Speed Racer,” Reeves said they had indeed tried to get him for Racer X. “I wish [it had worked out],” Reeves said of the role that Matthew Fox filled, before affecting the voice of the character himself: “Speed, I’m not your brother!”

Did Keanu make the wrong call in passing on Dr. Manhattan and Racer X? Or will Billy Crudup and Matthew Fox ably fill the roles? What do you think?

5 Responses to “Keanu Reeves Says He Turned Down ‘Watchmen’ And ‘Speed Racer’ Roles”

Lizzy says:

2:39 on 03/31

Keanu is great and is almost always spot-on in his choices. I'm glad he turned down Racer X role, it seems cheesy as hell (sorry Wachowski!). As for Watchmem, I think having someone less known is better for the movie but the fact is that Watchmen filming happened almost as the same time as The Day the Earth Stood Still filming, both in Vancouver, so it's clear Keanu chose to play Klaatu (what will probably be another super iconic sci-fi role for him). I wish good lucky for him in his next two projects - Street Kings and TDTESS - as Keanu seems to be a really great person and professional.
Club Keanu says:

11:35 on 03/31

Old news guys, this story broke literally 9 months ago:

http://www.club-keanu.com/modules/altern8news/article.php?com_mode=flat&com_order=0&storyid=90
Carl says:

9:16 on 04/03

I've never felt more grateful to Keanu than I am now for him not being in the Watchmen movie. It baffles me how he continues to get cast -- as an actor, he has an emotional range that runs the entire gamut from A to B. And as for wooden... well let's say he's two legs shy of making a great coffee table. He is going to be a terrible Klaatu in "Day", but would have been perfect as Gort...
Jin says:

9:00 on 04/09

I think it was a bad move for him to turn down the role to play as Racer X in Speed Racer. I mean I love a lot of Keanu Reeves's movies, but he is not that great of an actor. Lots of people are going to probably see Speed Racer with the expectation that it won't be that great. The show wasn't that great, it was just something a lot of people grew up watching and kids still do like (I have maybe 6 little cousins who love watching Speed Racer). I think it is something that he should have taken the role to play just for fun and people would probably remember it too, so theres fame. Its not like there are expectations that its suppose to be an academy award winning performance. I don't think John Goodman is playing Pops in anticipation of it being the best acting hes done ever, I think hes doing it for the fun of it.
S.A. says:

3:09 on 04/12

Well they're going to be big hits and stars should always try to be in those, but I respect Keanu for going his own way. He's a genuine original and doing the unexpected is part of his appeal. It's why he gets so much fan love.