A Different Beloved Actor Almost Played Brad Pitt's Part In The Lost City
"The Lost City" is just the kind of adventure-romance film they don't usually make anymore. It's a mid-budget, wholly original story, with A-list actors, a lovable himbo, slapstick comedy that actually works, and a truly deranged villain played spectacularly by an unhinged Daniel Radcliffe.
It is the best movie of its kind since 1999's "The Mummy," in no small part thanks to its central romance, and the power of Brad Pitt. He plays a hyper-stylized, hyper-masculine, hyper-handsome adventurer you'd expect would be the star of a movie like this. Though Pitt is not a huge part of the film, he steals every scene he's in, and yet, we almost had a very different actor play the part — and now we really wish this actor had taken the role.
Brad Pitt versus Keanu Reeves
What if, instead of an actor who was huge in the '90s, is going through a bit of a renaissance, and looks great with long hair, we had another actor who was huge in the '90s, is going through a bit of a renaissance, and looks great with long hair? That's right, instead of Brad Pitt, we almost had Keanu Reeves in "The Lost City," which is such an obvious choice it's kind of disappointing it never happened.
Speaking to Screen Rant, co-director Adam Nee said they initially wanted Keanu for the role. Of course, the man is busy being a total badass in the best action franchise of the past few years, and things didn't work out.
"I think we thought it was gonna be Keanu Reeves initially, but he was tied up with John Wick and that's where we were like, 'Brad was always our first choice,' but we didn't think it was gonna happen. Then [Sandra] did Bullet Train and it came together. And I love Keanu, he would've been fun too."
It wasn't just "Bullet Train" that was responsible for Pitt joining the film. More specifically, it was all due to Pitt's hairdresser, who he shares with Bullock, and who managed to convince Pitt to give the script for "The Lost City" a chance because of what the character's hair would look like. The end result, of course, is absolutely gorgeous, but that's beside the point.
Don't feel bad for Keanu, though, he's doing well for himself. For one, he's about to be Batman.
"The Lost City" is already available to watch from the comfort of your own home, under two months after the film was released in theaters, a very much welcome change to the industry that the pandemic brought.