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Keanu Reeves is circling the lead role in a new “Lego” movie from “Toy Story 4” director Josh Cooley.
The untitled project will reunite Cooley and Reeves, who voiced the stuntman action figure Duke Caboom in the fourth
“Toy Story” installment. Universal declined to comment.
Universal is backing the “Lego” adventure, which has been described as a live-action/ CG hybrid. It’s unclear if Reeves will appear on screen or voice a character in the film. Other details, including the plot, screenwriter or fellow cast members, haven’t been confirmed.
Since Universal acquired the film rights to Lego in 2020, the studio has announced several live-action projects from creatives like Jake Kasdan, Patty Jenkins and Joe Cornish, though none of those came to fruition. Universal is reportedly trying to commission a movie in the next six months before the rights to the property expire, according to Deadline, which broke the news of the new film. If this one fails to get made, “Lego” could be back up for grabs.
Lego began expanding into feature films at Warner Bros with 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” which became a hit under the direction of Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The animated adventure turned into a $1 billion-grossing film franchise with sequels including “The Lego Batman Movie,” “The Lego Ninjago Movie” and “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” While “The Lego Batman Movie” was another success, “The Lego Ninjago Movie” and “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” were commercial disappointments. After those back-to-back misses, Warner Bros. let the Lego film rights expire.
Universal’s first collaboration with Lego was the Pharrell Williams biopic “Piece by Piece,” which told the singer-songwriter’s story entirely through Lego animation. Despite positive reviews, the movie was a box office dud with $10 million against a $16 million budget.
