In Hollywood, the path to success and fame for an aspiring actor often feels like a rollercoaster ride, and it holds true for young Keanu Reeves. When the stars aligned, he grabbed hold of popular cultural phenomena such as ‘The Matrix‘ or an indie hit like ‘My Own Private Idaho.’ On other occasions, things didn’t turn out exactly as the actor envisioned.
This was never truer than in 2008 when Reeves attempted to bring a new sci-fi film to life. He joined forces with director Scott Derrickson to remake ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still,’ a 1951 sci-fi classic by legendary filmmaker Robert Wise. The film’s release triggered a critical panning so severe that the duo believed their careers would never recover.
From Sci-Fi Prestige To Widespread Backlash
Scott Derrickson, who directed the 2008 remake of the same name, tweaked the plot to fit contemporary environmental concerns. However, the final result drew little interest from film critics, who dismissed the project as an inferior copy of a popular classic.
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Although the movie made decent money, $233.1 million on an $80 million budget, it wasn’t reflected in the reviews of some of the industry’s best critics. Since critical reception can often spell doom for a film, both Derrickson and Reeves felt like being left to fend for themselves in a professional desert.
Derrickson cited multiple reasons for the film’s poor quality, the major one being the screenwriters’ strike, which coincided with its production period. “It was a horrific experience, and the movie did not turn out good. Well, it turned out okay in places at least,” he said later in an interview.
“But it was one of those movies where it didn’t turn out as well as it needed to because of a lot of reasons, the writers’ strike being the main one,” the director added. Fortunately, the stellar box-office revenues allowed ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ to escape complete critical annihilation.
But the film industry’s reaction to its release was brutal and indifferent. For a young filmmaker with an unpredictable artistic output, an unsuccessful attempt at proving their skills can spell the end of a Hollywood career.
Unsurprisingly, Derrickson faced this very harsh reality firsthand, as he didn’t land any projects for some time after the movie’s release. “And so after that movie, I was not really employable as a director for almost two years,” he revealed.
The Duo’s Epic 2014 Comeback
The same fateful blow dealt by the sci-fi film’s failure landed on Keanu Reeves’ career. Overnight, a respected action hero became unemployed, forcing the actor into an enforced exile during which he appeared in small-budget, low-profile productions.
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Looking back on those years, Reeves told Esquire about the fear of failure. “Sometimes I call that ‘The Day My Career Stood Still’…You’re always fighting for a career,” he said. Despite initial expectations, the disastrous events of 2008 failed to end the careers of both the artists involved in the project.
By 2012, Derrickson finally grabbed a chance to direct the successful indie horror flick ‘Sinister,’ starring Ethan Hawke. After this comeback, the director entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he shot ‘Doctor Strange.’
The 2016 movie earned Cumberbatch and Derrickson worldwide admiration and produced an astounding revenue of $677.8 million. As for Reeves, he resurrected himself in a sleek black suit, waving a gun around.
The 2014 release of ‘John Wick,’ in which the actor starred in the title role, marked the beginning of one of the biggest franchises ever. It led to a glorious period called “Keanaissance,” which elevated his status as the internet’s “Respectful King.”
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