The Sonic movie franchise has been on a tear over the past four years, earning over $700 million in global box office earnings and adding a couple more titles to the list of successful video game movie adaptations.
They’ve done so by collecting a cast of stellar actors to play and voice their characters, from Jim Carrey’s manic Dr. Robotnik to Idris Elba’s indomitable Knuckles. With Sonic 3 on the way and a huge cast of characters still to fill, fans knew there would be more amazing casting announcements in the future.
Still, I don’t know if anyone expected Mr. John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves, to join the fun.
Shadow the Hedgehog’s film series voice actor has been revealed
As stated by the Hollywood Reporter, Keanu Reeves is set to star in Sonic 3 as Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic’s dark, edgy opposite. Given Keanu’s recent success as John Wick, we see how the casting may make sense. Shadow is a motorcycle-riding, gun-wielding (sometimes) antihero, turned towards chaos by the death of his longtime companion, Maria Robotnik. Mourning her loss, he originally turns to evil before finding his way back to the good side, though with a ‘through any means necessary’ moral compass. John Wick toes the same line, originally seeking revenge before turning to dismantle the High Table. The parallels are numerous, and it seems obvious that Keanu should be a perfect fit for the role.
While we don’t have access to a Sonic 3 trailer yet, one was shown privately at Cinemacon in Las Vegas, and rumors seem to point to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and maybe even Robotnik, joining forces to stop Shadow’s rampage.
Personally, I hadn’t been very hyped for this movie. Now? I’m through the roof. I’m so ready to hear Keanu Reeves voice Shadow the Hedgehog as he wreaks havoc and causes mayhem in his quest to attain the Chaos Emeralds, jumping over buildings on a souped-up motorcycle.
And maybe, if my prayers are answered, they’ll give him a gun too.
