Keanu Reeves lined up for voice role in iconic franchise
In addition to being one of cinema’s most enduringly popular action heroes, Keanu Reeves has developed a prolific side-line in voiceover work, with the actor spending a lot of time in the recording booth for a number of projects across multiple mediums dating back decades.
He’s reprised his breakout role as Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan in short-lived animated series Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, made a cameo as the cat bearing his name in Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael-Key’s comedy caper Keanu, and brought Duke Kaboom to life in Toy Story 4.
In addition, he voiced Batman in DC League of Super-Pets, became a key part of Cyberpunk 2077 as Johnny Silverhand, while also finding the time to return as Neo in The Animatrix segment ‘Kid’s Story’, along with video games Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Awakens.
Furthermore, Reeves has narrated documentaries that cover such disparate subjects as global warming, bitcoin, and Toshiro Mifune. Therefore, it would be fair to say Reeves is no stranger to weaponising his vocal cords. Now, he’s back at it again, , with the John Wick figurehead confirmed to be voicing Shadow in the video game adaptation, Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
After the outcry that greeted the haunting initial design of the title character and his terrifyingly human-like teeth, the franchise has put the backlash in the background to continue going from strength to strength. The two entries to date have combined to earn over $700 million at the box office, roped in Idris Elba as Knuckles, and allowed Jim Carrey to munch on the scenery as Dr. Robotnik, with yet more star power being added to the threequel.
A fan favourite ever since first being introduced in 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2, there was a major tease for Shadow at the end of director Jeff Fowler’s second live-action adventure, leading to much discussion over who would end up being named as the antagonist. With only a few months to go until Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits cinemas, everyone has their answer, and it’s one they should be very happy with.
Recent footage at CinemaCon placed Shadow as a creation of Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik, driven to increasingly desperate lengths to rid himself of Ben Schwartz’s titular hedgehog. Essentially a mirror version of the blue speedster, Reeves’ character has many of the same traits as Sonic, as well as the ability to manipulate space and time.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is scheduled for release on December 20th, 2024, and will be hoping to match the success of its predecessors.