MTV’s movie blog reported on Friday that Keanu Reeves, who thinks deep thoughts, is involved in a remake of the 50′s sci-fi film “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” [I think I’m required to call it a “classic,” but some things are just “old.”] This time around, the alien Klaatu threatens to destroy–oh, let’s let Keanu tell it:

“The first one was borne out of the cold war and nuclear détente. Klaatu came and was saying cease and desist with your violence. If you can’t do it yourselves we’re going to do it. That was the film of that day,” Reeves explained. “The version I was just working on, instead of being man against man, it’s more about man against nature. My Klaatu says that if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth.”

Big word that “détente.” The best line — with an even bigger word — comes after the reporter complains about the robot Gort in the original (who looked like the Tinman from the Wizard of Oz) and expresses the hope that it will be updated to take advantage of the latest CG developments:

“Hey man, don’t put that tin man down! That was iconoclastic!” Reeves protested. “[But] yes, we have another version of the [robot].”

Oh please oh please let it look like Al Gore.

UPDATE: Watts Up With That had this on Friday — and even beat me to the Al Gore punch. Planet Gore posters can feel free to refer to our former vice president as Al Gort.

UPDATE 2: A reader asks: “What’s this thing going to be called? The Day Gaia Got Her Groove Back?”