It seems Universal Studios, who stand to potentially relinquish their film rights to Lego if they cannot get a franchise movie into pre-production before the end of 2026, can rest a little easier knowing that they have tentatively secured the services of one Keanu Reeves.
Reeves is hot on the heels of Toy Story 5’s opening weekend at the theatres, which came away with the biggest opening box office numbers of the year, grossing $160 million USD domestically – a franchise record – with a total of $312 million globally. Here, Reeves reprises his role of Duke Kaboom, an Evel Knievel-inspired character first introduced in Toy Story 4, which was directed by Josh Cooley, who, as it happens, will seemingly be reuniting with Reeves to direct the next upcoming Lego movie, which will feature a mix of live action and animation.
Little else is known about this upcoming project, particularly the story, and it is unknown if Reeves would be involved in the live action, animation, or both, but it is difficult to imagine that Universal would retain the services of a star like Reeves without using him to some capacity in the live action elements. Though, there is no reason he cannot be used in both since there is already a precedent, with Will Ferrell lending his voice to The Lego Movie’s villain Lord Business while also playing The Man Upstairs in the film’s surprising-but-genius live action sections.
In other news, Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto, alongside industry heavyweights Emily Mortimer and Thomasin McKenzie, has just been cast in the upcoming third season of the hit post-apocalyptic Amazon show Fallout, which is adapted from the legendary video game series of the same name.
Jacinto first broke out in 2016 as part of the main cast on one of the most underrated TV shows of this century, The Good Place, a fantasy comedy created by Michael Schur, best known for his work on The Office, as well as creating Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Jacinto certainly impressed as the idiot with heart, Jason, in The Good Place, and upon the show’s conclusion in 2020 I had wondered what would be next for the actor. While he was still landing minor roles in major movies, such as Bad Times at the El Royale in 2018 and Top Gun: Maverick (though in the latter he was sadly relegated to a non-speaking role in the final cut), I still felt that an actor of his talent deserved more.
Thankfully, that all changed in 2024 when he played the Stranger/Qimir in the Star Wars TV show The Acolyte. While the show was received with relative warmth from critics, it got a lot of backlash from fans for a number of reasons (some justified, some not so much), but Jacinto’s performance was universally lauded despite the show’s mixed responses. Since then, Jacinto has landed more significant roles, such as a major supporting part in Freakier Friday in 2025 alongside Lindsay Lohan and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, and he will feature prominently in upcoming features such as Forgotten Island, Love Language, and Stalemate.
As for Fallout, it is too early to draw any conclusions on the role he will play, but it will certainly be a supporting role at best, and the series has already seen its fair share of prominent and talented actors featuring as strong, memorable side characters, including Matt Berry, Michael Emerson, Chris Parnell, Fred Armisen, Kumail Nanjiani, Clancy Brown, Ron Perlman, and even Macauly Culkin.