Image: Lionsgate
Keanu Reeves is returning to the gaming sphere by voicing Sonic’s arch-rival Shadow in the threequel.
After co-starring in Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion Phantom Liberty together, Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba are making an unexpected reunion in another project: Sonic the Hedgehog 3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reeves will star as the movie’s main villain: Shadow the Hedgehog, when it hits theaters this December.
Shadow’s live-action debut was first teased in a post-credits scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but a voice actor hadn’t been revealed for the iconic character until now.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 casts Keanu Reeves as Shadow
We’ve known that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would feature Shadow the Hedgehog as its big bad since the previous instalment’s post-credits scene, which revealed that the Guardian Units of Nations possessed a secret research facility in which a certain ‘Project Shadow’ was being held. Dr. Robotnik’s assistant Stone finds this out and presumably plans to infiltrate the facility and unleash Shadow from containment in the sequel.
Shadow is a clear fan favourite of the Sonic franchise, so figuring out which Hollywood actor Sega and Universal Pictures have tapped to play him has been the subject of rampant speculation online since the reveal. Until just now, a popular rumour had pointed to Star Wars’ Hayden Christensen playing the role. That rumour has obviously been debunked.
Citing anonymous sources, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that movie star Keanu Reeves will play Sonic’s arch-rival in the threequel. It might seem like out of left field casting as far as edgy antihero hedgehogs go, but it’s par for the course for a franchise that’s managed to recruit Jim Carrey as Doctor Eggman and Idris Elba as Knuckles - both of whom will also return for the third movie.
Reeves is no stranger to the gaming sphere at this point. The actor famously portrayed Johnny Silverhand in the futuristic open-world game Cyberpunk 2077, and co-starred in its expansion Phantom Liberty with Idris Elba. That makes Sonic the Hedgehog 3 an unlikely gaming reunion of sorts for the two actors. If you’re wondering how Reeves will sound as Shadow, a good point of reference might be 2022’s DC League of Super-Pets, where he played Batman. Fun fact: he also shared a scene in that movie with Ben Schwartz, who plays Sonic in the movies.
In addition to Keanu Reeves, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will also see Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter and Lee Madjoub reprise their roles from the last two movies. The movie hits theatres on December 20, 2024, but we’ll get another instalment in this universe before that: Knuckles, a Paramount+ live-action series that stars the titular character, voiced by Idris Elba, as he embarks on his own six-episode adventure. Knuckles starts streaming on April 26.