Keanu Reeves Joins Cast of Sonic 3 as Shadow the Hedgehog

It looks like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has found the voice of the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow the Hedgehog. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that The Matrix and John Wick star Keanu Reeves will play the franchise’s ultimate antihero, who faces Sonic and his friends in the upcoming threequel.

Shadow was teased as the end of the second movie, setting up the character’s appearance in the third film, which is due out later this December. Paramount Pictures debuted the first footage for the sequel last week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, which showcased the return of Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik. The footage also featured Shadow, who did not speak or reveal his voice. Shadow the Hedgehog is one of the franchise’s most popular characters, first appearing in Sonic Adventure 2 released in 2001. He acts as a sort of dark mirror to the franchise’s hero, the Blue Blur Sonic the Hedgehog.

Keanu Reeves is no stranger to voice-over work. More recently, he voiced Duke Caboom in 2019’s Toy Story 4 for Pixar. In 2022, he voiced none other than Batman in DC’s League of Super-Pets. He also voiced Johnny Silverhand in the popular videogame, Cyberpunk 2077.

The popular SEGA video game franchise has found great success at the box office for Paramount, with the firs two films making more $723 million combined at the worldwide box office. The first spinoff TV series, Knuckles, featuring Idris Elba returning as the voice of Knuckles the Echidna, debuts on April 26 on Paramount+.

Jeff Fowler returns to direct the latest franchise installment. Ben Schwartz reprises his role as Sonic, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey voices Tails. Lee Majdoub also returns as Dr. Robotnik’s loyal right-hand man, Agent Stone. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 arrives in theaters on December 20.