The critics will be sure to give this a, er, Hyde-ing...

Having tarnished our enjoyment of Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" via his/Scott Derrikson's inane remake, Keanu Reeves has turned his attention to destroying another classic.

The "Street Kings" star will play Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (hey! stop laughing!) in Universal's new take on the Robert Louis Stevenson-classic. Titled "Jekyll", it'll be based on a script by Justin Haythe ("Revolutionary Road") and directed by Nicholas Winding Refn ("Bronson").

The tale, about a doctor who scientifically develops an evil self, has become so pervasive in popular culture that the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" conjures the idea of a split personality. The story has been translated to the screen and stage dozens of times, with several deviations including comedy, kids ("Jekyll and Heidi") and gender (1995's "Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde"). The story has seen modern iterations as recently as 2007, when the BBC aired a miniseries with the story set in the present as Hyde ran amok in London.

Universal clearly is enamored with the tale as it also has been developing a take on it with Guillermo del Toro, though the two couldn't be more different.

Del Toro, who has an affinity for gothic horror as well as creature features, aims to stick more closely to the Stevenson tale. Also, del Toro's project is on the slow track as the filmmaker works on "The Hobbit" for New Line and MGM, which is expected to take up the next five years. Even when he comes back, he likely will tackle one or two other Universal projects before his version, so a good amount of time will exist between the projects.

The Hollywood Reporter has more...