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Keanu Reeves: Commercial clout from Coke ad to Matrix rubber duck


Packing an indefinable punch 
Canadian actor Keanu Reeves hit the screens in commercials for Coca Cola and Cornflakes back in 1983 and 1987 respectively.
Sandwiched in between came his big movie break, 1985's 'Young Again', playing "a 17-year-old body with a 40-year-old mind". 
 
Beyond trilogies
Buckle up now for the fourth instalment in his hallmark movies series 'The Matrix' (December 2021) and 'John Wick' (May 2022).
Reeves' commercial punch is reflected in the just-out 'Matrix Resurrections' trailer.
And that includes the pinches of humour that spice Reeves' ads for his website-building company Squarespace - along with the laconic delivery key to his identity as actor.
Here, he's both the man on the motorbike with existential doubts about building a website, and the dismissive god-figure in the sky.
Rubber duck goes viral
Though the 2'30" 'Matrix' trailer is crammed with action of both mind and body, it's the glimpse of Reeves' character Neo in the bathtub with a rubber duck on his head that's riding high on the social media waves.
Diminishing the issues?
Nah. Not with Reeves portraying the human crucible of doubt.
The original movie came out in 1999 and redefined the concept of science fiction films. Reeves is reported to have been paid around $14 million for the new edition, which looks set to continue a relentless path.
The first three Matrix movies took more than $1.6 billion at the global box office, with the John Wick trilogy pulling in more than half a billion dollars worldwide.


Does the trailer draw us into the ongoing 
themes of sinister cyber-intelligence, dystopia, simulated reality, and the manipulation
of the human experience? 

Let's all remember.....


Posted by Tree Elven on 29/09/2021

Keywords: Keanu Reeves commercials, Keanu Reeves rubber duck, Kanue Reeves Coke ad, Matrix Resurrections trailer

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