In case you didn’t know, Keanu Reeves is a comic book creator and co-writer, too. The actor and producer broke the news in 2020 and, shortly after, in March 2021 the first volume of 12 was released through Boom! Studios. The adaptation into an anime series and a live-action movie will be handled by Netflix.
Although the streaming platform published the news on Twitter in 2021, a few weeks ago those involved shared more information about the realization during San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
BRZRKR will be a two-season anime, currently in early stages with animation studio Production I.G (Haikyu!!, Psycho-Pass) at Netflix. #NetflixSDCC pic.twitter.com/Z41QN9wMmy
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) July 22, 2022
What’s it all about?
The comic follows the “half-mortal, half-god warrior known as ‘B’ as he battles through the ages, seeking answers to the mystery of his endless blood-soaked existence, and how to end it,” said Reeves, who also revealed how the story originated, “Well, I had this one idea of someone punching people right through their chest,” from there came the character “cursed by violence trying to find out who he is.”
Through the issues we learn more about ‘B’, an immortal man forced to use violence over 80,000 years. Today, he works on dangerous missions for the U.S. government, on the condition that they study him to find a way to lose his immortality.
In addition to being immortal, ‘B’ also has superhuman powers and strength. The name comes from Berzerker, which refers to Viking warriors during combat. It is said that, in a trance during fights, these warriors were insensitive to pain and strong as a bear.
BRZRKR, with big names
With Keanu’s original idea, other big names in the industry were brought on board. Matt Kindt (Ninjak, Divinity, MIND MGMT) co-wrote. On the visual side was Bill Crabtree, colorist, and Ron Garney (The Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Silver Surfer, Hulk) for the illustration. It was a team that made the success of the story possible — with 600,000 copies of the first volume sold in the United States.
Production I.G., one of the most important studios in the industry, will be in charge of animating the two approved seasons of the series. They have among their titles Ghost in the Shell, which is, incidentally, one of the biggest influences for Reeves in the genre, after the Wachowskis sisters (The Matrix) introduced him to films such as Akira (1998) by Katsuhiro Ōtomo and Ghost in the Shell (1995) by Mamoru Oshii.
“I was watching anime on channel 79, and I didn’t even know what it was. And then, when I worked with the Wachowskis on The Matrix, they were like: You need to watch these.” said Reeves. That started it all for the actor, not only familiarizing himself with the genre, but also planting a seed that bore fruit two decades later.
BRZRKR has been making history since its release, becoming one of the best-selling comics of the decade. In addition, during San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it became the first comic book to be featured in the prestigious Hall H, which was previously oriented to film and television.
“It’s really just impacted me as a storyteller…and it’s just some of the coolest sh!t I’ve ever seen as a human being.”
Keanu Reeves on his new #BRZRKR anime series. #SDC2022 pic.twitter.com/wspwTHbsYj
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) July 22, 2022
A growing universe
In 80,000 years of existence, the life of ‘B’ covers a lot of ground. The live-action was also announced by Netflix. The film will star Keanu Reeves himself, surprising no one because the character is physically inspired by the actor. For the series Reeves will also lend his voice, in what will be a spin-off of the original comic book.
During the development of the comic, writer Matt Kindt mentioned that it was particularly different working with Reeves, because in addition to having clear ideas, he could voice and interpret the character they were creating, which can make the creative phase of the project much more inspiring.
At the beginning of the project, Keanu had said that he would be pleased to play the character because it is such a fun story. As it was not yet confirmed whether it would be brought to cinema or television, the actor mentioned that, if it didn’t turn out to be him, he hoped someone else could play the role.
Additionally, a book is expected to be on the way, but from a writer that Random House has not yet announced. Reeves has been collaborating with this author: “we’ve been speaking and doing outlines and talking concepts,” although he couldn’t reveal much more, “out of respect for Random House, I can’t say [the writer’s name] … Sometimes you have to be a team player.”
However, Reeves added that it is one of his favorite authors.
Dates for these releases have not yet been disclosed. In the meantime, you can read the bloody, brilliantly accomplished comic —complete with an original interview with the comic’s creators. Within the story, Reeves fans will additionally discover many winks — intentional or not — to characters played by the actor or to himself.
For me, as a Venezuelan, beyond the colored pills or the image of ‘B’ sitting on a bench, the most striking wink was political. My brother introduced me to this comic recently, with a warning: when you read it, notice who the target of the first mission resembles. There, they talk about a Latin American president, but in addition, the drawings (from a book poster) are very similar to a former Venezuelan president who had many friends and enemies around the world when he was alive.
Images: Edgary Rodriguez R.