Keanu Reeves makes a bizarre cameo in new 'SpongeBob Movie' trailer

Keanu Reeves’ recent career resurgence has seen him achieve some great things, from becoming a lethal action hero in the John Wick franchise to voicing a Canadian stuntman in Toy Story 4 and even reprising a classic role in Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Now, he’s playing a tumbleweed made of sage in the new SpongeBob SquarePants movie.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is the latest film outing for the cartoon hero and follows his mission to find his missing pet snail, Gary.

Any notion of plot, however, is largely secondary to Reeves’ show-stopping cameo as a wise ball of sage.

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“I'm made out of sage and I am a sage,” he states. “So it works out pretty well."

Keanu Reeves plays a ball of sage in the new trailer for 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run'. (Credit: Paramount)
Keanu Reeves plays a ball of sage in the new trailer for 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run'. (Credit: Paramount)

It’s unclear what role Reeves’ character will play in the narrative, as SpongeBob and Patrick make their way to “The Lost City of Atlantic City” in search of Gary.

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Regardless of the plot mechanics of his appearance, the Reeves cameo is gaining a lot of attention on social media from fans of Keanu, SpongeBob and of meme-worthy weirdness in general.

Sponge on the Run is the third big screen adventure for SpongeBob, after 2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and the 2015 sequel Sponge Out of Water.

The latter film’s most memorable cameo featured British comedian Matt Berry as the voice of a powerful space dolphin, tasked with preventing Jupiter and Saturn from smashing into each other.

That film also featured CGI, computer-animated elements — a style which Sponge on the Run will fully embrace for the duration of its runtime.

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SpongeBob first appeared on television in 1999 and he has become one of Nickelodeon’s most iconic characters, on both the big and small screens.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is due to arrive in cinemas on 22 May 2020.