Keanu Reeves is Writing a New Comic Book Titled BRZRKR and The Main Character Looks Like Him
Keanu Reeves is diving into the world of comic books and it writing one that he calls BRZRKR. As you’ll see in the preview images below, the main character in the comic also looks like Reeves.
The news comes from USA Today and they describe the comic as being "action-packed and hyper-violent.” The story follows a warrior "who looks a lot like a certain beloved actor and has walked a blood-soaked path across the world for centuries. In present day, the Berzerker is hiding in the U.S. and does dangerous jobs for the government in exchange for the truth about his existence.”
Reeves went on to explain, “It's like, 'I'll go do some missions for you and you'll help me figure out who I am and how this has come to be and how maybe I could get released from this.' But then of course there are ulterior motives on both sides.”
Reeves met with Boom! Studios to pitch the comic idea last year and that pitch involved “this character who was born 80,000 years ago, half man, his father's a war god. It's a little fantasy in reality. but with the pathos of a man trapped and trying to figure it out.”
Berzerker's origin story also digs into the fact that he has perfect memory and speaks a ton of languages. "We have hopefully some nice scenes where when they're looking at hieroglyphics, and he's like, 'No, you got that wrong… And there's things like, 'Hey man, I wasn't everywhere. I'm just one guy.' Part of the research that they're doing on him is trying to download all of the knowledge that he has."
"It's like, 'Yeah, I think it would be fun just to see him punch through someone's chest or pull out a rib or rip an arm off,'"…. The Berzerker "can heal to a certain extent, so it's fun to have these kinds of outrageous consequences and still have the character kind of moving forward."
Reeves also says the comic book series explores themes including "the nature of violence, morals, ethics (and) what side do you choose."
Boom! editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon says it’s “immensely cool” working with Reeves and adds, “Exceptional creative instincts, deep reservoirs of wisdom on story, the ability to consistently tap into the raw emotion of a moment, relentless commitment to quality and the task at hand – it’s all this and much more that make Keanu an inspiring force.”
The art for the comic will be created by Alessandro Vitti and colorist Bill Crabtree. BRZRKR is coming in October and it will be a 12-issue limited series that will be co-written by Matt Kindt. When talking about the co-writer Reeves said his creativity adds to "the action and the backstory of the characters, and he's been open to me inserting my fascination for history, conspiracies and espionage into the mix along with a fragmented narrative structure.”
It seems obvious for Reeves to play the character when it eventually ends up getting adapted into a film or series, and when the actor was asked about it he said, “I'd love to play Berzerker! It's a really fun story so if it's not me, hopefully someone can play it.”
What do you all think of Reeves’ upcoming comic? Will you be checking it out?