The documentary Side by Side is certainly one of the most interesting projects I’ve learned about in the past few months, and now it looks as though the film will be heading to a theater near you this summer. Tribeca Film announced today that it has acquired North American rights to the documentary produced and presented by Keanu Reeves. The film explores the evolving landscape of filmmaking, specifically the advent of digital and how its popularity affects traditional filmmaking. While that subject matter alone is worth exploring, Reeves and director Chris Kenneally sat down with nearly every master filmmaker working today to get their musings on the future of moviemaking.

Side by Side features interviews with James Cameron, David Fincher, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Stephen Soderbergh, the Wachowskis, and many, many more. You can watch the trailer right here. Tribeca Film is planning a multi-platform summer release for the pic, followed by a broadcast premiere early next year in addition to screenings at college campuses and film schools across the country. The film is having its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

A little over a week ago, a curious little documentary was announced called Side by Side. The project, spearheaded by Keanu Reeves, features interviews with a number of master filmmakers regarding the film vs. digital debate. Now the first trailer for the film has popped up and Side by Side is officially one of my most anticipated movies of 2012. The trailer showcases Reeves having candid conversations about the death of film (and the advent of 3D) with people like George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and Steven Soderbergh. It looks incredibly intriguing, and I can’t wait to hear today’s foremost filmmakers weigh in on the future of moviemaking.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Side by Side will be released sometime this year.

A curious little website has popped up announcing a new documentary produced by Keanu Reeves that tackles one of the foremost issues facing filmmakers today: the advent of digital filmmaking. Entitled Side by Side, the documentary takes an in-depth look at the issue of film vs. digital, and “examines all aspects of filmmaking – from capture, to edit, to visual effects, to color correction, to distribution to archive.” Through interviews with numerous well-respected masters of the medium, Side by Side “explores what has been gained, what is lost and what the future might bring.” Take this sample quote from Christopher Nolan:

“No credible source really has been claiming to have invented something that is aesthetically superior to film at this point.”

The documentary will feature Reeves interviewing filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Lana and Andy Wachowski, George Lucas, James Cameron, Steven Soderbergh, and many more. Hit the jump for more details.

It was first announced in April that Keanu Reeves planned on making his directorial debut with the martial arts movie Man of Tai Chi.  Ever since, Reeves has been in talks with Village Roadshow Asia and China Film Group to make it happen.  Reeves has finally made the deal, teaming with Universal and Wanda Media in addition to Village Roadshow and China Film Group to make and distribute Man of Tai Chi.  Tiger Chen, who was part of the Matrix stunt team, stars as “as a young martial artist whose fighting skills brings him to a realm of vast opportunities, and painful choices.”  Reeves will also co-star as the villain.

Man of Tai Chi is scheduled to start shooting in February in China.  Reeves will shoot in both Mandarin and English for the film, set in contemporary Beijing.  Hit the jump for quotes from Reeves on his approach to the task at hand.

Thanks to Voltage Pictures website, a number of new images and the first poster for Mark L. Mann’s Generation Um… have hit the net.  Starring Keanu Reeves, Adelaide Clemens and Bojana Novakovic, the film “follows a day in the life of John (Reeves) and his two beautiful cohorts as they live life on the fringe, immersed in sex, drugs and indecision.  As they navigate their daily routine of bars, crowds and New York City living, they embark on a path of self-discovery.”

Hit the jump for more.

Thank the Maker for YouTube. With the advent of the video-on-demand digital age, no longer is that TV movie role that Actor X did when he was 11-years-old lost forever, and now someone’s put together a compilation of 25 “before they were famous” first roles for our viewing pleasure. Did you know that Daniel Craig was in A Kid in King Arthur’s Court? How about Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Roseanne or Jake Gyllenhaal in City Slickers? No need to hit up Netflix, some choice scenes are now all in one place.

Hit the jump to watch the montage, which includes 25 sometimes painful scenes featuring Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Gosling, Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, Seth Rogen, Jake Gyllenhaal, Harrison Ford and more.

Can director Carl Erik Rinsch balance a fantastic epic featuring giants and witches with one of Japan’s legendary tale of loyalty and sacrifice?  That’s the question circling 47 Ronin but star Keanu Reeves explains how the film plans to honor the Japanese people who have grown up hearing this tale while still creating a widely-accessible tentpole flick.  Says Reeves,

“Japanese kids grow up with this story told to them. They hear it from family and they learn it in school, it’s part of the culture.  It’s been made into movies many times and on television. It’s like our westerns, the story keeps being told.  It’s been reworked in some ways [for this new film] but with great care and respect.”

Hit the jump for more details on the project including a synopsis.  The film also features Japanese stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Kô Shibasaki, and Rinko Kikuchi.  47 Ronin is set to open in 3D on November 11, 2012.

Talks between Warner Bros. and Keanu Reeves regarding his role in the studio’s adaptation of the manga-turned-anime, Akira, have come to an end with Reeves passing on the project. JoBlo broke the news of the deceased negotiations earlier today which quickly spawned questions concerning the film’s future at the studio. While I’ll stop short of projecting the film’s long-term outlook, for now we have confirmed the accuracy of the original report with the studio who reassures us that Reeves passing on the role has not killed the project which is set to be directed by Albert Hughes (The Hughes Brothers) from a rewritten script by Steve Kloves (the Harry Potter series).

Although the constant back-and-forth regarding Akira casting may appear to be a bleak sign for the project (a shortlist of names including Robert Pattinson and Chris Pine previously appeared here, with names like James Franco and Zac Efron being rumored here and here), it’s worthy to note that many high-profile/big-budget projects such as this have a difficult time getting off of the ground initially. As such, we should most likely expect Warner Bros. to begin courting another upper-echelon name to attach to the project in the near future. For more on Akira, including a statement from the studio, hit the jump.

The live-action version of Akira may actually be happening. After Warner Bros. secured a co-financer for the $230 million pricetag (Legendary Pictures, who just recently backed out of the deal), and Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves turned in a rewrite of the script that had everyone eager to get going, producers began searching for their cast. Directors the Hughes brothers have been searching for an A-lister with global appeal to star in the flick (you don’t gamble that amount of money without ensuring that you’re gonna rake in serious international revenue), but for a while it seemed like they were searching in vain.

Now, Vulture reports that Keanu Reeves is in very early talks to take on the starring role in the film. Based upon the manga and the 1988 anime adaptation, Akira centers on teenager Shōtarō Kaneda and his quest to stop his friend Tetsuo from destroying Neo-Tokyo. Hit the jump for more on the project.

[Update: Heat Vision reports that Reeves is in talks for the role of Kaneda, the gang leader.]

Keanu Reeves plans to make his directing debut on the kung-fu flick Man of Tai Chi.  Reeves also tells MTV that he plans to play the villain in the movie, which would be set in the present day but recall classic kung-fu films.  And the film won’t lack for kung-fu fighting:

“There’s 18 fights. We’ve timed it out. It’s about 40 minutes of fighting,” he said. “I want to make a good, solid kung fu movie. Good story, good plot — but let’s get some good kung fu going!”

Hit the jump for more details on the project.  Reeves is currently shooting on Carl Rinsch’s 47 Ronin, which is due out in 3D on November 21, 2012 and centers on a group of former samurai avenging the murder of their lord.

While I’m going to have trouble believing that a third Bill & Ted movie is a reality until cameras actually start rolling on it, Keanu Reeves says that he expects the writers to send him and co-star Alex Winter a draft in about six weeks.  Reeves also told MTV that the film will be based on the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey:

“When we last got together, part of it was that Bill and Ted were supposed to have written the song that saved the world, and it hasn’t happened.  So they’ve now become kind of possessed by trying to do that. Then there’s an element of time and they have to go back.”

Hit the jump for my thoughts on the potential sequel.

Moving Pictures has released a trailer for Henry’s Crime, a heist comedy starring Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, and James Caan.  While it’s basically the same trailer that leaked online back in January, we never posted it and now it’s in higher quality.

The story centers on a nice guy (Reeves) who goes to jail for a bank robbery he didn’t commit.  Now released from prison, he enlists his old cellmate (Caan) to rob the bank for real this time.  The film looks cute and it’s nice to see Reeves in an intentional comedy.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer and click here for Steve’s interview with Reeves from when the film played back at the Toronto Film Festival.  Henry’s Crime opens April 8th.

Four Japanese actors have joined Keanu Reeves in Carl Erik Rinsch’s 47 Ronin. Hiroyuki Sanada (Lost), Kou Shibasaki (Battle Royale), Tadanobu Asano (Mongol), and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) will star alongside Reeves in Rinsch’s adaptation of the Japanese legend of ronin who fought to avenge their master’s death.  The film, which Universal is setting up as one of its 2012 tentpoles, is set to be released in 3D on November 11, 2012.

Variety doesn’t say which roles the new cast members will be playing.  However, judging by the previous work I’ve seen from these actors, I’m become more excited for what 47 Ronin holds in store. [Update: Universal has sent us a press release detailing the roles the lead actors will be playing.  Hit the jump to check it out.]

While there is a decent chance you’ll one day be able to file this under “Internet movie rumors that never amounted to anything,” we’d be remiss not to at least pass this along.  A report has filed in from a “Q & A” at the London International School of Performing Arts which claims that star Keanu Reeves spoke at moderate length about returning to The Matrix for two more sequels.  Per the account, Reeves claims to have had lunch with The Wachowski Brothers over Christmas during which they briefed him on a two-film treatment they had finished for the Matrix franchise.

Obviously, keep in mind that the purported eye-witness account of the “Q & A” is, as of yet, unconfirmed.  Nevertheless, if you’d like to here more about what Reeves purportedly had to say about reprising his role as Neo, hit the jump. [Update: It looks as if the lead in the write-up has been proven true as sources from both the Reeves camp and the London International School of Performing Arts claim the "Q & A" never even happened.]

We’ve received word that Universal plans to shoot and release the upcoming Keanu Reeves action film 47 Ronin in 3D. Director Carl Rinsch, who has previously been attached to the upcoming Alien prequel as well as a Logan’s Run remake, will make his feature film debut on the project. The project officially got a greenlight last month, as well as a release date of November 21, 2012. There’s no word as to whether the entire film will be shot in 3D, or if some of the footage will be filmed in 2D and then post-converted like the upcoming Transformers: The Dark of the Moon.

Based upon a true story, 47 Ronin is the tale of 18^th century samurai who head out to avenge the death of their master. It’s the most famous tale of the samurai code of honor, “bushido.” For a director who has yet to make his feature film debut, Rinsch has been attached to some decidedly high-profile projects, and Reeves’ work on The Matrix trilogy has him well-versed in martial arts (“I know kung-fu”). Needless to say, this flick sounds fairly bad-ass on paper. We’ll find out if Rinsch lives up to his reputation come November 2012.