USA: WORLD PREMIERE OF KEANU REEVES LATEST FILM "THE REPLACEMENTS" COMEDY ABOUT AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Record ID: 546489

  • Title: USA: WORLD PREMIERE OF KEANU REEVES LATEST FILM "THE REPLACEMENTS" COMEDY ABOUT AMERICAN FOOTBALL
  • Date: 29th July 2000
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 29, 2000) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ORLANDO JONES SAYING, "Let me explain to you how this works. Gene Hackman can't get hurt. Keanu Reeves can't get hurt. Orlando Jones? Knock his freakin' block off. Let me recap, because you may not have heard what I was saying. Keanu, no hurt. Hackman, no hurt. The black dude with curly hair and bug eyes? Let's see if we can knock him completely out of his damn head! That was my experience on the field."
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES, USA AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAEOT44ERDHZRXKZZQE1BK1C5IH
  • Story Text: In his first outing since his career was rejuvenated with "The Matrix," Keanu Reeves tries his hand at comedy and football in "The Replacements," which celebrated its World Premiere in Los Angeles this week.
    Keanu Reeves underwent months of intensive training with professional football coaches and quarterbacks in order to play Shane Falco, a has-been player who gets a second chance at greatness when he's called in to replace a bunch of striking professional players.
    As a replacement quarterback under the guidance of legendary coach Jimmy McGinty, played by Gene Hackman, Falco faces the challenge of bringing together a motley crew of mismatched outsiders.
    They include over-eager cop turned linebacker Daniel Bateman, played by "Swingers" star Jon Favreau, butter fingered sprinter Clifford Franklin, played by comic actor Orlando Jones and Welsh kicker and chain-smoker Nigel Gruff, played by Rhys Ifans, best known for his scene-stealing role in "Notting Hill" with Hugh Grant.
    "The Replacements" is directed by Howard Deutch, who previously helmed such films as "Pretty in Pink" and the "Grumpy Old Men" series starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
    In addition to the main cast, Deutch also gathered 45 football players to play the other teams in the film. Every one of them had played professional football at one time at one level or another.
    Together with the cast, the whole group went through weeks of training camp with football coordinator Allan Graf and his associate Mark Ellis, the team that also coordinated football scenes for Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday" and "Jerry Maguire."
    Everyone involved was impressed with Keanu Reeves' natural athletic ability, especially his speed and fancy footwork on the field.
    Although the movie is set in Washington D.C., the crew chose to shoot the film 35 miles north in Baltimore. They were allowed to use PSINet Stadium, home of the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens.
    Most of the production took place while the professional team was on the road and the stadium was empty, but one night, the crew was allowed to shoot during halftime of an exhibition game, complete with a sell-out crowd of 65 thousand fans.
    To further complicate matters for the film crew, they had to shoot several complex plays involving the key cast, 60 football players and 90 extras all in nine and a half minutes.
    "The Replacements" opens in theaters throughout the United States on Friday, August 11.
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