Toy Story 4 introduced a Canadian icon to the franchise. The Duke Caboom toy might have disappointed kids who got him as a gift, but he didn’t disappoint viewers. Now the duo that helped bring the mustachioed daredevil to the screen are looking to team-up once again. But this time, they’re going to blend animation and live-action. A new report says Keanu Reeves is in negotiations to star in a hybrid LEGO film from Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley.
Deadline‘s Justin Kroll says Keanu Reeves is currently in negotiations to headline LEGO’s long-planned answer to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? And it sounds like he’s pretty far along in the process after weeks of discussion. Universal was reportedly looking for a big name star to finally get a long-gestating project off the ground. The studio first acquired the rights to the LEGO property in 2020. According to Kroll, after many false starts, Universal started to build the film around Reeves’ unknown character. He then signed off on the idea after Cooley, who also penned Inside Out, was brought on to sell his idea.
It’s a pretty good combo. A longtime Pixar veteran, Cooley most recently directed 2024’s Transformers One. Reeves also just reprised his role as Duke Caboom with a small role in Toy Story 5. The LEGO Group’s Jill Wilfert and Ryan Christians will serve as producers.
There are no details about Cooley’s pitch just yet. All that is known is that it will combine animation and live-action. While Reeves could certainly voice a cartoon character, as he more than proved with Duke Caboom, it seems impossible he won’t be the live-action lead. (Hence the whole “Universal wanting an A-lister” thing.)
Keanu Reeves interacting with sentient LEGO characters is pretty much all we need from a movie pitch.