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Hard to believe that just a few short years ago Keanu Reeves couldn’t get a decent action pic to save his life – “Chain Reaction”, anyone? – but thanks to a little film whose sequels went off-the-rails called “The Matrix”, Hawaii’s finest is now the first name on everyone’s lips when they’re talking action, sci-fi or brain-bending drama.

Fox has recruited their “Speed” star to headline a remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still," its re-imagining of the 1951 Robert Wise-directed sci-fi classic, says Variety.

Reeves – whose next appears in the drama, “The Night Watchmen” – agreed over the weekend to play Klaatu, a humanoid alien who arrives on Earth accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot and a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar.

Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") is directing the movie, which FOX is planning as a major release.

I’ll really have to revisit “Stood Still” to know whether Reeves’ is a good fit for Klaatu, but “humanoid alien”? Sounds like perfect casting to me.