Keanu Reeves Says the Wachowskis Helped Inspire His New Netflix Anime ‘BRZRKR’

Christian Zilko
·2 min read
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“John Wick: Chapter 4” released a buzzy new Comic-Con teaser this weekend, but that wasn’t the only project Keanu Reeves promoted at San Diego Comic-Con. The star also appeared on a panel for “BRZRKR,” a comic book series that he co-writes with Matt Kindt.

The series, which follows an 80,000-year-old warrior who can punch people through their chests, debuted in 2021 and is already being developed as a live-action movie for Netflix. But Reeves was focused on the present, talking about his love of comic books and passion for writing “BRZRKR,” an experience that gave him “some of the best creative days of my life.”

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“I was that kid coming back with bags of comic books, and it was always a good day,” he said (via The Hollywood Reporter). The actor added that the day the first issue was released was one of the highlights of his career. “I was like, ‘I’m kind of an adult, and this is the best fucking Christmas I’ve ever fucking had.”

Reeves’ enthusiasm for the comic was apparent as he detailed his attempts to balance the violent tendencies of his protagonist with more nuanced human emotions.

“I had this idea — I wanted a character to punch people through their chest and rip their arms off,” he said. “And the idea of someone who was cursed with violence and trying to figure out who they are and how they came to be and kind of reclaiming their humanity.”

In addition to the live-action film, which will star Reeves in the lead role, Netflix is also developing a “BRZRKR” anime. The transition from comic books to anime is a natural one for Reeves, who credits the Wachowskis for inspiring his lifelong love of the medium.

“I was watching anime on channel 79, and I didn’t even know what it was,” Reeves said. “And then when I worked with the Wachowskis on ‘The Matrix,’ they were like, ‘You need to watch these.’ So it was ‘Akira,’ ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ and that’s pretty much the start of it. I’m not really up-to-date on current anime. A couple of my friends have some kids who can just spit anime, and I’m like, ‘That sounds amazing.’”

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