It depends on the actor whether he wants to act in a film or not. In most cases, many celebrities turn down a role after reading the script in search of a better opportunity, however, when Keanu Reeves did this, it started his decade-long feud with 20th Century Fox.
Something similar happened to actor Tom Cruise when his relationship with Paramount Studios fell apart after his public image suffered in 2006, leading to his exclusion from the franchise after the third film. The task is impossible movie, but it’s hard to imagine the franchise without Cruise, so with some effort, Paramount brought him back and he gave a memorable performance in the fourth installment of the franchise. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
Also read: Colin Farrell wanted a job swap with Keanu Reeves after being impressed by John Wick’s Aesthetic Beauty despite starring in the $816 million Fantastic Beasts.
20th Century Fox has ended its partnership with Keanu Reeves after he turned down the film.
1994s Speed was a huge success, making actor Keanu Reeves famous throughout the world. Given its box office success, 20th Century Fox wanted to create a sequel, but Reeves couldn’t figure it out and decided to scrap it. During his speech at Sunday podcast, recalled Keanu Reeves,
“It was a difficult decision, I really had a great time filming and making Speed. It turned out really well, so it was “Let’s do it again.” Then I was filming a movie called Chain Reaction, and I was in Chicago and read the script. This movie was quite physical. There was a lot of running and cold. They showed me the script and I just didn’t see it. I didn’t understand. So I couldn’t do it. I didn’t work at Fox for 15 years after that, I think so, but I don’t know. This is just a theory. I ended up working there again, but it took 15 years.”
Fox actually created a sequel called Speed 2: Cruise control However, without Keanu Reeves, it was a huge failure. More than a decade later, Fox again cast Keanu Reeves as Klaatu in the 2008 film. The day the earth stood still.
Also read: ‘This is killing the damn art form’: Quentin Tarantino’s dire prediction came true after he criticized Keanu Reeves’ $1.7 billion franchise that almost starred Sandra Bullock
Tom Cruise was also fired from Paramount Pictures.
Back in 2006, actor Tom Cruise faced something similar, not because he turned down the role, but because of his reputation. In 2006, Sumner Redstone, then chairman of Viacom (Paramount’s parent company), told The Wall Street Journal that the company was unhappy with Cruise’s behavior.
“We don’t think someone who commits creative suicide and damages the company’s bottom line should be held accountable (…) His recent behavior was unacceptable to Paramount… He’s never behaved like this before, he’s truly crossed the line ” .”
The announcement came after the third Mission: Impossible film underperformed at the box office. Due to the actor’s ties to the Church of Scientology and his public connections with Katie Holmes, Cruise’s popularity plummeted.
So how did Cruise return to the franchise? Answer: JJ Abrams. Thanks to the iconic director’s efforts, Paramount agreed to hire Cruise for the fourth film, with the stipulation that they keep another actor around. After all, the fourth installment, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, broke the franchise’s box office record, grossing $694 million worldwide. Even today, the film is the second highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Connected: ‘I would break Kubrick’: Keanu Reeves says he could give Stanley Kubrick a taste of his own medicine that made Tom Cruise miserable
Thanks for your feedback!