List of film roles for which Keanu Reeves was considered

The following is a list of film roles Canadian actor Keanu Reeves turned down or missed out on. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

List

Name	Year	Offered role	Ref	Notes
Platoon	1986	Chris Taylor	[1] [2] [3] [4]	Role went to Charlie Sheen.
Heat	1995	Chris Shiherlis	[1] [3] [4]	Role went to Val Kilmer.
Speed 2: Cruise Control	1997	Officer Jack Traven	[4]	Role went to Jason Patric A
Bowfinger	1999	Kit Ramsey	[2] [3]	Role went to Eddie Murphy.
X-Men	2000	Logan/Wolverine	[2] [3]	Role went to Hugh Jackman.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	2001	Aragorn	[1] [2] [3]	Role went to Viggo Mortensen.
Shooter	2007	Bob Lee Swagger	[3]	Role went to Mark Wahlberg.
Speed Racer	2008	Racer X	[1] [2] [4]	Role went to Matthew Fox.
Tropic Thunder	2008	Tugg Speedman	[1] [2]	Role went to Ben Stiller.
Watchmen	2009	Doctor Manhattan	[1] [3] [4]	Role went to Billy Crudup.
Captain Marvel	2019	Yon-Rogg	[1] [2] [4]	Role went to Jude Law.

Notes

• ^A Reeves previously played Traven in Speed (1994) and declined to reprise the role in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997); as a result, the character of Traven was written out of the sequel and replaced by Officer Alex Shaw, who was played by Jason Patric. ^[4]

References

1. Pineda Pacheco, Diego (March 20, 2023). "10 Movies That Keanu Reeves Almost Starred In, But Didn't". Collider. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
2. McDougald, Katelin (December 15, 2022). "Major Roles Keanu Reeves Didn't Get or Turned Down". MovieWeb. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
3. Stice, Joel (September 2, 2015). "Keanu Reeves Missed Out On Playing Wolverine And These Other Big Roles". Uproxx. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
4. Schaefer, Sandy (July 19, 2020). "Every Major Movie Role Keanu Reeves Turned Down". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 3, 2025.