John Wick 4 wasn’t the only topic on Keanu Reeves mind as he appeared at this weekend’s San Diego Comic Con. The legendary Bill and Ted actor was also keen to discuss his ongoing BOOM! Studios series BRZRKR as the series heads towards a dramatic climax.
Appearing alongside co-writer Matt Kindt and fellow creatives Ron Garney, Matt Gagnon, Eric Harburn, Mattson Tomlin and Stephen Christy, Reeves discussed how the idea for the series first came about:
“I had this idea of a character who can punch you through the chest and rip arms off who was cursed with violence [and is] trying to figure out who they are and reclaim their humanity,” said Reeves. “I met with Boom! in 2017 and pitched it. They agreed to try to put it together, and it took a couple of years.”
Co-writer Kindty touched on what drew him to the project: “When Reeves pitched the idea, it’s the twist at the very end that caught my attention and made me want to get involved.”
Whilst BRZRKR artist Rong Garney seemed more attracted by the series’ action sequences. “Who doesn’t love punching someone through the chest?! It wasn’t just a story about violence, but there are so many layers. It felt so epic. It really is a huge exercise in what you can do with a comic, so I was like, How can I turn this down?’ ”
Mattson Tomlin is currently hard at work on the script for BOOM!’s planned BRZRKR movie. Whilst he wasn’t able to share too much on what they have planned, he did drop some hints about his inspiration.
“I love Keanu Reeves with all my heart,” he said. “His characters mean a lot to me. The time I’ve spent with him is something I honor. The inspiration for the film isn’t just his other movies but films like The Fountain and Tree of Life.”
The BRZRKR comic series will run through 2024 and the story universe will have a spinoff novel written by a famed author — though it wasn’t revealed who. Random House has the rights to the story and will publish the book. No date for when that will drop has been confirmed as yet.
