The transition from television to film can provide a multitude of challenges, most notably a loss of original purpose or direction. For Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the duo behind the wildly successful Comedy Central show Key & Peele, the initial motivation for their new film Keanu was simply to “have a Key & Peele movie at the ready … if anybody [came] calling.” Speaking with The Strand and other student journalists from across Canada and the United States, the pair, along with co-star Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), explained that what ended up driving the film beyond that early point was the same desire that informed their highly-successful sketch show. To quote Peele himself, they were pursuing “the material that we haven’t seen anywhere else.”
This pursuit manifested into a film that touches on tropes of Black masculinity through an action comedy lens, in the vein of Raising Arizona, while also providing some wish fulfillment for its stars. “I don’t think that there’s anybody—but certainly any comedian out there—who doesn’t secretly wish they were either … a famous musician or an action star,” according to Peele. “You know, we just want to be badass. Everybody wants to do that.”
Key discussed their awareness that such a combination of themes, styles, and personality might not attract a broad audience. Mentioning several writing and marketing tactics that were meant to balance the less conventional aspects of Keanu, he delved deepest into the title’s inspiration. “There’s a certain amount of strategy in calling the kitten Keanu…that name is iconic. So, hopefully, that name being connected with that kitten will make the name doubly iconic.” This strategy was specifically employed in reaction to the industry expectation that American comedies with Black leads do poorly internationally. “[International audiences] certainly know who Keanu Reeves is but…may not know Key & Peele is. Our hope is that, when you see that name it—in a manner of speaking—is kind of the best foot forward.” The branding and marketing of Keanu, both of which the pair were somewhat involved in, aimed to subvert such expectations. Citing the campaign of posters that emulated those of The Matrix, Speed, and Mad Max: Fury Road as “a remarkable job,” the two felt confident they had done their best to present a palatable film for those unfamiliar with their work.
Casting and producing the film prior to the promotional stage was more in the duo’s wheelhouse. Responding to a question on the casting process posed by The Strand, Peele explained that their long-standing relationship with director Peter Atencio on Key & Peele allowed for them to be intimately involved in finding the right group of actors. “It was really important to us as the producers to find a mixture of people who [could] handle the humour of the film without winking at it and without being conscious of it. And I think the best way to do that is to find a really fantastic actor, whether they’re a dramatic actor or a comedic actor.” The diverse acting backgrounds of Tiffany Haddish (The Carmichael Show), Method Man (The Wire), Luis Guzmán (Boogie Nights), and Jason Mitchell reflect this balance.
According to Mitchell—who began work on Keanu prior to the release of Compton—the tone on set was wholly comedic, however. “Jokes and jokes and jokes and bits and bits and bits,” Mitchell laughed as he recalled the excitement of working in his home state of Louisiana and Key’s Billy Bob Thornton impression off-camera. In contrast with the scale and seriousness of Compton, Mitchell described the production as “the type of project where if it would rain, everybody would like use their body to cover the camera.”
Ever since the finale of Key & Peele, the duo has been frequently asked what’s next. Hinting at future film collaborations, Peele cited class and wage discrimination as potential themes for new work, and an interest in science fiction as a genre to frame these issues. He made it clear, with some sense of relief, that such planning would have to wait until after Keanu’s run in theatres.
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