The only reason why
he had to do the film was the legal obligation bound to him because of the
verbal agreement he had with the director. “I didn’t want to get sued,” he said
in a recent interview.
Have you ever heard of this film? No? That’s because no one has.
“The Watcher” saga happened long before Keanu Reeves became a
star, and at that time, he was a youth icon with a film like The Matrix already
etched in his resume. Today he is an internet sensation with a long list of hit
films under his belt, and that includes The Matrix, The Devil’s Advocate,
Speed, The Lake House, and of course, the five-star action flick John Wick.
But as an adage teaches us-“You cannot become a samurai after
one fight.” The same is true for Keanu Reeves as he had to do an awful lot of bad
movies before he stumbled upon some which were appreciated throughout the
world.
The year was 2000, and god knows whether Keanu Reeves had
recovered from his trauma or not, but he had unwillingly found himself amidst
an awful script and direction. The movie was a “brainchild” of Joe Charbanic
(of course it was), and it starred Reeves, James Spader, and Marisa Tomei in
the leading roles. The story followed a retired FBI agent who gets bullied and
stalked by a serial killer David Allen Griffin (played by Keanu Reeves).
Nothing was suitable for Reeves in the film. The script was
awful, the director was incompetent, and most importantly, his role was not his
connatural liking. The film was deservedly bashed from all corners, and the
awful amount of negative reviews that the film got was neither a surprise for
Reeves nor for anyone.
Reeves was so pissed off that he made himself absent from the
red carpets and other promotional events of the film. Few months after the
film’s release, the truth came to the surface, and everyone came to know
Reeves’ side of the story.
It is undeniable that Reeves was forced to do the film and
whatever happened to him was nothing but an unforgivable scam.
It all started with a hockey game he had with the director Joe
Charbanic. Honoring the friendship, Reeves agreed to do a small part in
Charbanic’s film, thinking that he is helping a friend gain some money through
his Matrix fame. However, Charbanic betrayed the trust of the great man and
wrote a full part and signed him up for a leading role. Smelling a clear-cut
betrayal, all Reeves wanted to do was to back out of it, but his lawyers firmly
warned him against it as they sensed that the producers might already have a
plan in place for that and Keanu Reeves would have to face an inevitable legal
battle. Reeves reluctantly agreed to do the film, but as soon as he discovered
that others were paid only a small amount compared to his colossal wages, the
actor became so furious that he refused to do any promotions for the film.
The actor also had one of his friends forging his signature on
the contract papers, which made him handicapped over the entire issue.
Universal Studios made a gentleman’s agreement with Reeves. They
excluded him from all the press tours, red carpets, and mainstream interviews
as long as he confessed to not saying anything in public.
Reeves and his lawyers wanted to prove that there was a forgery
in place, but they could not do so. The only thing he achieved from the
betrayal was a failed film and the loss of two friends. If you ask Reeves now,
he would be glad about the latter.
“The Watcher” was a colossal disaster, and let us all just
forget that it ever happened.
Daisy
Martin arrived on the cyber security scene in the early 2000s when
virus and malware were still new and slowly evolving. Her longtime affair with
writing with an interest in the cybersecurity industry, combined with her IT
degree, has contributed to experience several aspects of security suite
industry such as blogging at norton.com/setup.
