Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in Rally Car for Fundamental Films, which is being described as The Cannonball Run, set in China. Deadline reports that the actor will play an American race car driver, but no further plot details were released at this time. The project will be a Chinese co-production, which puts it in the advantageous position of securing a theatrical release in China, one of the world’s largest markets.
Jeremy Lott wrote the screenplay, with Stephen Hamel producing for Company Films, the production company he runs with Keanu Reeves. This project will be sold to domestic and international buyers alike during the American Film Market, which takes place later this fall in Los Angeles. The project doesn’t have a director attached at this time, but that could all change with a star like Keanu Reeves attached.
The Cannonball Run debuted in 1981, starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. The plot followed the participants of a cross-country road race as they do anything it takes to win. Given the Rally Car title, it seems likely that this will be a rally race, perhaps one that goes off road. Where exactly this Chinese race will happen remains to be seen.
Keanu Reeves is coming off of the surprise hit John Wick, Lionsgate’s action-thriller that hit theaters last year. The studio is currently developing a sequel, although it isn’t known when production may begin. The actor will next be seen in director Eli Roth’s new thriller Knock, Knock, arriving in theaters October 9. He is also starring in The Neon Demon and The Panopticon, along with the long-awaited Bill & Ted 3, which hasn’t started production yet.
Since the Chinese government limits the amount of foreign (non-Chinese) films that is released in the country every year, several American movies have opted to become Chinese co-productions, to ensure a release in the country. Iron Man 3 became a Chinese co-production, with several scenes shot in the country, and Legendary Pictures recently launched their Legendary East company, which is producing the Chinese-set drama The Great Wall. Are you looking forward to seeing Keanu Reeves racing in China?
