We already knew Keanu Reeves would be voicing Shadow in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but he’s taking his voice talents to Sega’s video games as well.
Announced during today’s Sony State of Play (in a moment of pure “wait, was that Keanu?”), Reeves will voice Shadow as part of an upcoming Sonic x Shadow Generations DLC, the “Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Pack.” Interestingly, the update will arrive on December 12, a week before Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s release on December 20, and be inspired by scenes in the movie. It’s certainly the latest big development in what Sega’s dubbed “The Year of Shadow,” — and really, it’s hard to get a bigger headliner for it than Reeves.
We first learned that Reeves would be playing the famous hedgehog back in April, and the first trailer for Sonic 3 gave us just a taste of what the actor’s portrayal will be like. This’ll also mark Reeves’ second role in a video game, famously playing Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 (funny enough, another Cyberpunk actor, Idris Elba, voices Knuckles in the Sonic Cinematic Universe).
Meanwhile, Sonic x Shadow Generations, an enhanced version of 2011’s Sonic Generations featuring new standalone content starring Shadow the Hedgehog, will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on October 25. Sega highlighted several upcoming Sonic projects during a Sonic Central presentation earlier today, but left the big Reeves announcement for the State of Play.
For more from the State of Play, check out our roundup of everything announced.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.