Keanu Reeves officially cast as Shadow in Sonic 3
It's official: Keanu Reeves is proving that black is the new black, lending his brooding vocals to Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Jeff Fowler's threequel is releasing on December 20, 2024, upping the ante with one of Hollywood's biggest names.
After 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog defied expectations and left the video game curse in the dust, the Sonicverse has shown no sign of slowing down. As well as 2022's Sonic 2 surpassing the original at the box office, we've also got the upcoming Knuckles series with Idris Elba.
Keanu Reeves joins Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Click to enlargeAccording to The Hollywood Reporter, Reeves has signed on for the cast of Sonic 3, joining the likes of Ben Schwartz, Elba, and Jim Carrey. Shadow appeared in the post-credit scene of Sonic 2, and now, is tipped to be the protagonist of the next movie.
There was rampant speculation that Star Wars' Hayden Christensen had landed the lucrative part as Shadow, but sadly, his continued renaissance will have to wait for another day. Reeves nabbing the role as Shadow is one of those bizarre fan castings that's come true.
Back when Shadow appeared at the end of Sonic 2, fans started splicing together clips of the gun-toting hedgehog with audio of Reeves. Either Reeves, Paramount, or both took note of the casting, as the man behind John Wick has officially found a new franchise to put in his crosshairs.
A recent trailer reportedly showed off a silent Shadow, leading to rampant speculation about which big name had landed the part. You don't come much bigger than Keanu Reeves, and alongside whispers he's poised to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Sonic series is a major coup.
After sharing his voice and likeness with the part of Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, it looks like Reeves has a taste for video games. How long he's been waiting in the 'shadows' remains to be seen, but as we race toward Sonic 3, things just got a whole load more interesting.
