Keanu Reeves Finds Outer Space Love In 'Passengers' With The 'Pursuit Of Happyness' Director

1/27/10 2:00 pm ET by Christopher Campbell in Uncategorized


Italian filmmaker Gabriele Muccino, best known in the U.S. for his Will Smith collaborations "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Seven Pounds," is in talks to direct Keanu Reeves next in the sci-fi flick "Passengers," according to Variety. Reeves has been involved with the project at least since 2007, when the film's script popped up on the annual Black List of greatest unproduced screenplays.


Written by John Spaihts, who is also penning Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel (partly thanks to Reeves), "Passengers" is a love story set on a spaceship. It sounds more frightening than romantic however. Reeves plays a man accidentally awakened too early from hibernation during a centuries-long flight to a distant planet. So rather than wait around to die while the rest of the crew sleeps, he wakes up a female passenger in order to have company.


Think about if you were that poor woman (who will be played by a "lesser-known" actress), basically forced to become Eve to Keanu Reeves' Adam. Whoa. Just on principle alone it'd be hard to develop feelings for him, right? I guess that's what makes this an intriguing story.


According to The Playlist -- they've apparently gotten their hands on the script -- the protagonist does indeed make some unsympathetic decisions. Sounds like it could be the kind of dark sci-fi that receives positive reviews yet unfortunately sells few tickets, a la "Solaris" and, more recently, "Moon."


Muccino announced this potential gig during a press conference in Rome for his latest foreign film, "Kiss Me Again," which is a sequel to his 2001 film "The Last Kiss." If that title sounds familiar, it's because the original was remade a few years ago with Zach Braff in the lead.


How does this sci-fi love story sound to you? Would you be easily romanced by Keanu Reeves if he were the only available man on a lonely spaceship? What if he handpicked you to be his companion?

Keanu Reeves paternity case dismissed

A Canadian woman who claims Keanu Reeves is the father of her four children has had her case dismissed after a judge branded it "patently unbelievable."

Karen Sala filed suit against the actor last year demanding millions of dollars in child support and spousal support payments, maintaining Reeves is the biological father of her four adult children.

She also alleged in an affidavit that Reeves agreed to take her to the Academy Awards and promised they would eventually wed.

The "Speed" star, who has said he doesn't even know the 46 year old, took a DNA test which proved he is not related to any of the children, but Sala dragged the case back to court to contest the results.

She accused Reeves of using hypnosis to change the outcome of the testing, according to the Canadian Press.

But Judge Fred Graham ruled in Reeves' favor on Thursday by throwing the case out, telling the court, "The applicant's evidence is so incredible that it is not capable of acceptance by any reasonable trier of fact. A trial in this case would be a waste of limited judicial resources.

"It is evident that she (Sala) believes her allegations even though they are patently unbelievable to an objective observer."

The 46 year old was ordered to pay the Hollywood actor $15,000 for the legal bills the case has incurred.

Published on: January 08 2010 at 11:39 AM