Marvel Has Courted Keanu Reeves For Almost Every Movie, Will Find The 'Right Way' To Bring Him Into The MCU

Everyone loves the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Everyone loves Keanu Reeves. How long before the two shall meet?

In a chat with ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige revealed that the studio has had Reeves in mind for a long, long time — and that they're just waiting for the right role for the beloved actor to present itself. 

Feige's remarks came in response to a line of questioning which he's got to be getting used to by now, as Davis wanted to know which of his favorite actors might be, or had been at any time in the past, up for inclusion in the MCU. The first name on his list was Reeves, who at the moment is having something of a career resurgence (by which we mean he's suddenly hotter than he's probably been at any point in his career so far).

"We talk to him for almost every film we make," Feige said with a chuckle. "We talk to Keanu Reeves [often]. I don't know when, if, or ever he'll join the MCU, but we very much want to figure out the right way to do it."

Feige went on to compare the situation to Marvel's pursuit of another high-profile actor who recently joined the party: Jake Gyllenhaal, whom he said the studio had conversations with "multiple times" before finally casting him as Quentin Beck/Mysterio in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home. Feige expressed his hope that the same patient approach would eventually pay off with Reeves; he conspicuously did not mention the fact that multiple outlets have reported the star to be in talks for The Eternals, which is looking to be the first major release on the "Cosmic" side of Marvel's Phase 4.

Feige's remarks are lent credence by the fact that, way back in 2014, Reeves was rumored to be up for the title role in Doctor Strange, a role which eventually fell into the very capable hands of British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. At the time, Reeves responded to the rumors with a mix of excitement and trepidation. "I go to those kinds of movies, I like superhero movies. I grew up on them and comics and graphic novels," he said. However, he admitted to being leery of signing the kind of multiple-picture deal which Marvel famously requires of its more high-profile stars. "From a practical standpoint, the idea of a longtime contract is sort of 'errr' because you want to make sure the material is up to a certain level, like the good or great level," he said. "I think with [superhero pictures], you need the material, you need the director who you think can deliver a vision. You don't want to do it for doing it, you know? You want to try and make sure it's doing something." (via The Hollywood Reporter)

At this point, Reeves doesn't have to do anything just for doing it, to use his characteristically unique parlance; the star is having the kind of moment that would make peers green with envy if he weren't such a doggoned nice guy. After rocketing to the A-list thanks to his role as Neo in the Matrix series, Reeves spent the next decade or so appearing in decidedly smaller projects before stumbling upon his next paradigm-shifting franchise. That would be John Wick, the insanely innovative shoot 'em up series which firmly cemented his status as a viable action star. The films have done more box office damage with each successive entry; the recent John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum has grossed over a quarter-billion dollars worldwide, and its theatrical run is not done.

Reeves also made a splash this year in the rapturously received Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe (in which he plays himself, to wildly hilarious effect), and will soon appear as Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4, which has blown critics out of their seats and stands poised to serve as the cure to this summer's purported case of "sequel-itis." On top of all this, he'll soon be returning to his most fondly-remembered role: that of Ted "Theodore" Logan, the time-traveling stoner with a heart of gold, in next year's long-awaited three-quel Bill & Ted Face the Music.

It also bears mentioning that, for reasons that are somewhat murky (other than the fact that he's just really awesome), Reeves has recently become the object of the entire internet's obsession due to his genuinely down-to-earth and Zen-like nature, a fact of which (of course) he was blissfully unaware until somebody pointed it out to him. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominating pop culture like nothing else in recent memory, the time seems oh-so-right for Feige and company to find that perfect role that they've long been seeking for the star. 

We'd go so far as to say (and, you know, we're about to) that Reeves' inclusion in a little-known property such as The Eternals just might help propel that film to box office glory along the lines of this year's Captain Marvel, which became the seventh MCU entry to gross over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office (mere months before Avengers: Endgame became the eighth). Mr. Feige, if you're reading this (and, who are we kidding; of course he is), we submit that there's a time for the patient approach, and a time to strike while the iron is hot. As far as Keanu Reeves is concerned, irons don't get much hotter; please, on behalf of fans everywhere, get to striking, sir.