An animated film with Keanu Reeves, on the other hand, was an absolute hit and even surpassed his action films in terms of financial success:
Although Keanu Reeves had no interest in the project, he had to play the villain in The Watcher (2000). The reason was a friend who forged the actor’s signature on the contract.
The Watcher is a thriller from 2000 directed by Joe Charbanic. It is about FBI agent Joel Campbell who engages in a cat-and-mouse game with the serial killer David Allen Griffin.
Keanu Reeves, known primarily from Matrix or John Wick, plays the antagonist and killer in the film.
As the actor revealed in an interview in 2001 with The Calgary Sun, he did not actually want to participate in the project – a false friend, however, left him no choice.
Here you see a trailer for The Watcher:
“I had no choice but to make the film”
Why did Reeves have to participate in The Watcher? Keanu Reeves did not like the script of The Watcher and therefore intended not to participate in the film.
However, a friend forged the actor’s signature on the contract. The actor did not reveal who exactly the friend was.
Keanu Reeves was unable to provide proof that the signature was forged, which led to him reluctantly participating in the project – out of fear of being sued otherwise.
I found the script not interesting at all, but a friend of mine simply forged my signature on the contract. I couldn’t prove he did it, and I didn’t want to be sued, so I had no choice but to make the film.
Keanu Reeves via The Guardian
When The Watcher was released, the actor refused to promote the thriller. Reeves then explained in the interview that due to legal regulations, he was only able to publicly express his frustration 12 months after the film’s release in the U.S.
How successful was The Watcher? Although the film was at the top for two weeks regarding box office numbers in the U.S., it received negative reviews for the thriller.
One point that is often mentioned is Reeves’ portrayal as the antagonist: Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian wrote, “Keanu is completely wrong as a serial killer.
If you’d rather watch a definite hit from Keanu Reeves, you can do so today. More info can be found here with our colleagues at Moviepilot: Today on TV: One of the best sci-fi movies of all time, despite the mega success the lead actress went bankrupt
Reviews for The Watcher are also quite negative on Rotten Tomatoes, with:
- 11 % Tomatometer
- 28 % Audience Score
Here, criticism of the casting decision is also expressed. Keanu Reeves would simply be the wrong choice for the serial killer. Additionally, the script is very weak and the dialogues poorly written.
An animated film with Keanu Reeves, on the other hand, was an absolute hit and even surpassed his action films in terms of financial success:
