Keanu Reeves to Star in Jekyll

Keanu Reeves has been a busy bee this year. He’s been cast in several films over the past few months and he’s got another one to add to the list. According to THR, Reeves will star in Jekyll. Based off of the classic novel, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The film’s screenplay was written by Justin Haythe, who also penned the script to last year’s critically acclaimed Revolutionary Road. 

Find out more on Jekyll after the jump.

Reeves is attached to star in the project that has already had several big screen adaptations in the past. The story about a doctor who develops an evil version of himself has also been produced dozens of times for theater and television. Even though the basic plot of the novel is well known to the general public, the film’s producer’s haven’t released any details from the script. Nicolas Winding Refn is currently in negotiations to direct the feature, which will be distributed by Universal.

Speaking of Universal Pictures, this is just one of two Dr. Jekyll films they plan to produce. They have another project focusing on the same subject matter in development with Guillermo del Toro. Even though they will cover a similar story, they claim that both films are complete opposites. Del Toro’s version will go into production well after Jekyll, due to the director’s current schedule of projects, which includes The Hobbit.

Am I the only one disturbed by this? Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Are we going to have a Capote/Infamous situation on our hands? We all know what happened there. One film got an Oscar and the other got the shaft. I’m also assuming that Reeves will star as Dr. Jekyll,which means he will have to emote and show an internal struggle. That’s going to be hard to watch.

What do you think of Reeves casting in Jekyll? Do you think he can pull it off?