Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finds its Shadow actor in John Wick star Keanu Reeves

Yeah, I’m thinking Shadow’s back

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is bringing Shadow into the cinematic fold, and contrary to some long-standing rumors, he’s going to be voiced by none other than the breathtaking Keanu Reeves.

The news of Reeves' casting as Shadow the Hedgehog was first broken onThe John Campea Showand was soon corroborated byThe Hollywood Reporter. The reports come just after a bit ofnew footage from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 debuted at CinemaCon 2024, teasing a big confrontation with Sonic and crew teaming up to take on Shadow.

Shadow the Hedgehog first appeared in the 2001 game Sonic Adventure 2 as a sort of brooding antihero who often serves as a rival to Sonic himself. (He also frequently wields guns in his game appearances, a notable departure from the very silly slapstick violence in the rest of the series.) Shadow’s appearance in the film universe was first teased in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and was effectively confirmed with ateaser image for the upcoming film.

Rumors have been circulating that Hayden Christensen would voice Shadow since earlier this year, but there was never a clear origin point for those rumors. Nonetheless, the idea spread like wildfire, and admittedly Christensen does have a certain reputation for playing edgy bad boys. Still, I don’t think anybody’s going to be too upset with Reeves in the role.

Reeves is best known for his action star roles in films like The Matrix and John Wick series, but he’s had plenty of experience in voice roles, too, including appearances in everything from Toy Story 4 to DC League of Super Pets.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024. If you’re looking for more, check out our guide to all theupcoming video game moviesyou need to know about.

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Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He’s been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

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