Apr 8, 2026 3:01pm PT

How a 16-Year-Old Chess Player Recruited Keanu Reeves to Executive Produce Her Documentary ‘Madwoman’s Game’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Payton Turkeltaub

Plus Icon

Payton Turkeltaub

Latest

How a 16-Year-Old Chess Player Recruited Keanu Reeves to Executive Produce Her Documentary ‘Madwoman’s Game’ (EXCLUSIVE)

33 minutes ago

Arne Olsen, Screenwriter of ‘Cop and a Half,’ ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,’ Dies at 64

3 hours ago

‘The Boys’ Sets ‘Call of Duty: Mobile’ In-Game Collab Ahead of Final Season (Gaming News Roundup)

8 hours ago

See All

John Nacion/Variety

When Bianca Mitchell-Avila was 16 years old, she first had the idea for the documentary that became “Madwomen’s Game.” The premise was simple: it would highlight and empower the real-life women conquering the male-dominated world of chess, following Mitchell-Avila’s journey across America as she prepared for an epic final battle of the game against a star people look up to. Immediately, Keanu Reeves came to mind as the ideal opponent.

“I was like, ‘You know what would be crazy? If I had an epic battle with John Wick,’” reflects a now 21-year-old Mitchell-Avila, who guessed at Reeves’ then-manager Meredith Wechter’s email and fired off a thoughtful note explaining the project and her proposition. “I know that he is very busy and may not have time to participate in something so small, but I really wanted to take a chance,” she wrote in the message, sent in 2021. The next morning, to her surprise, she saw a response from Reeves sitting in her inbox.