Keanu Reeves hit a major roadblock while writing his latest film.
In an interview published in the Sunday Times on Sunday, July 28, Reeves, 59, spoke about the surprising technical issues he encountered while working with award-winning author China Miéville on his new novel, The Book of Elsewhere.
“I had no idea how to use Microsoft Word,” the John Wick star admitted to the outlet, but his writing partner eventually taught him how to use it.
The new fiction book is a spin-off of the BRZRKR graphic novels that Reeves began writing in 2021 and has now published 12 comic books.
As he wrote his latest film, the actor told The Sunday Times that he emailed Miéville about three years ago to inquire about collaborating, but Miéville responded that he needed time to finish another project before starting to write.
“He said, ‘Well, Keanu, I like you and I think this is an interesting idea,'” Reeves told the outlet, adding, “But” — and I thought this was absolutely brilliant — “by the way, I’ve got six more months to work on another story for myself.”
“The Book of Elsewhere” by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville.
Miéville noted lightly that he “didn’t say it so casually,” but the response didn’t faze the actor.
“For me, it was like, ‘Yeah,'” Reeves said of the exchange. “It was like an artist was saying, ‘I’d love to work with you, but [busy] Create something.”
Despite a slight delay in starting the book, Miéville “had fun” writing it, he told The Sunday Times, which reported that the book was completed in four drafts.
The Book of Elsewhere, which was released on July 23rd, tells the story of the pursuit of an immortal warrior known as B, who, according to the synopsis, “wishes to die.”
The synopsis continues: “Now a US covert operations group has promised to help him – and all he has to do is help them in return. But when the seemingly indestructible soldier returns to life, this impossible event ultimately points to the existence of forces even more mysterious than B himself.”
Speaking of the original character, he said B is looking for “humanity” and “self-understanding,” something the actor identifies with in real life. “As we all know in our own lives, that’s not always easy. That’s where immortality comes in,” he added.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE published July 23, Reeves spoke about the various themes the novel explores.
“It’s a contemporary novel that deals with fantasy. It deals with the way we understand the world through metaphor. It has something to say about love, life, grief, death, and who we are and what we do, whether it’s fantasy or not,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Reeves’ iconic graphic novel BRZRKR is currently being adapted by Netflix into a feature film and an animated spin-off series, with the actor himself set to star in a B-role role.
According to Netflix, the animated series will expand the fictional universe by “exploring different elements of storytelling.”
