Hundreds of thousands of comic book enthusiasts of all ages are expected to attend this weekend’s New York Comic Con, which kicked off Thursday.
Legendary Sci-Fi actor Keanu Reeves knew just how to welcome them.
An event and discussion surrounding Reeves’ new film Replicas attracted hundreds of both fans and media members Thursday night in the largest meeting room at New York City’s Javits Center.
Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Replicas was acquired by Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September.
Check out the official trailer for ‘Replicas’ below:
Replicas features Reeves as William Foster, a neuroscientist who attempts to manipulate time in order to revive his family after losing them in a tragic car accident.
Through modern medicine and super-advanced technology, Dr. Foster dangerously bends the rules of science and clones his wife, daughter and son in an attempt to make life normal again.
Alongside his producing partner Stephen Hamel and director Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Reeves (without giving too many spoilers) discussed what fans can expect in Replicas.
“What William is doing – he has to start playing with their memories,” Reeves said to the hundreds in attendance. “He can’t have them remember the car crash or that they’re dead, so he starts diving into the data that he has in order to change who they are.”
The film takes a number of riveting twists and turns, but that’s not the only thing that attracted Reeves to the character he plays. He said there was a certain family dynamic embedded in the movie that appealed to him, which is not something he said had always been present in his previous projects.
“I think one of the major differences was that with all of this darkness and tragedy, there was the relationship of the family, and that was really different for me,” Reeves said.
He joked with the audience that he had played a number of different roles – from demons and angels to digital time travel, “but a family? I’ve never done that before!”
Since the devastation of Hurricane Maria just two weeks ago, Reeves also mentioned that he has collaborated with New York Comic Con to support rebuilding efforts on the island of Puerto Rico, which is where the film was shot.
“There’s such a talented filmmaking community down there that took such good care of us while we were filming,” Nachmanoff said, “so we are doing whatever we can do support them in their time of need.”
New York Comic Con lasts through Sunday. To support Reeves’ fundraising efforts, click here.
Editor’s Note:
Entertainment Studios is the parent company of theGrio.com and is a completely 100 percent African-American owned company with seven networks.