The third Sonic movie already seemed like it was going to kick all kinds of asses by bringing Shadow the Hedgehog into the picture, but Paramount’s just upped the ante by adding Keanu Reeves to its cast.
According to a source, Keanu Reeves, star of “John Wick,” will play Shadow in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.”
He joins Jim Carrey as the evil Dr. Robotnik and Ben Schwartz as Sonic in the cast.
News of Reeves’ casting broke after director Jeff Fowler hinted that the upcoming Sonic movie would draw inspiration from Sonic Adventure 2, the Dreamcast game that debuted Shadow in 2001, though the studio has not yet made an official announcement.
Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Sonic’s arch-enemy, Dr. Robotnik, created Shadow, who made his debut in the 2001 video game Sonic Adventure 2. With his incredible speed and Chaos Control, which gives him the ability to control time and space, he is initially portrayed as Sonic’s enemy in Sega’s video games but eventually turns into an ally.
The 2020 movie of the same name marked the beginning of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, grossing over $319 million worldwide. A successful sequel was released in 2022. All three of these movies were directed by Jeff Fowler.
In addition to the “Matrix” franchise, Reeves’ credits include “Speed,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” and “My Own Private Idaho.”
Next up for him is the “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina,” where he will star opposite Ana de Armas. The reveal of his character in the latest trailer, which debuted last week at CinemaCon, was met with thunderous applause from the assembled movie theater executives, demonstrating the actor’s strength at the box office.
Reeves will also appear in “Good Fortune” as a co-star with Sandra Oh, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen.
The final scene of the previous Sonic film, where Shadow appeared to be cryogenically frozen at an enigmatic black site, also hinted at Shadow’s cinematic arrival.
We didn’t get a chance to hear him shout “chaos control” or “this is the ultimate” then, but it feels safe to assume that he’ll do that when Sonic the Hedgehog 3 premieres on December 20th.
For the last few years, Reeves has been starring in blockbuster films. Before that, he played the legendary role of Neo in The Matrix: Resurrections in 2021. Upcoming projects include a guardian angel role in Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune and a cameo as the well-liked assassin in John Wick Presents Ballerina, a spinoff starring Ana De Armas.
