Keanu Reeves would love to play Johnny Silverhand once more, however how can he given the occasions of Cyberpunk 2077? It seems Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith has labored out a means to make it make sense, and has informed the much-loved actor: “contact me.”
In September, talking with IGN whereas selling his film Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves mentioned that he wished to be a part of the sequel to CD Projekt’s 2020 sport.
“Completely. I’d love to play Johnny Silverhand once more,” Reeves mentioned when requested if he’d be focused on revisiting his legendary rockstar terrorist character in Cyberpunk 2.
Reeves’s love-affair with the Cyberpunk group started along with his viral “you are breathtaking” second at E3 2019. Reeves, on-stage to announce the launch date of Cyberpunk 2077, was interrupted by a fan who shouted out “you are breathtaking!” Reeves’ response was to double-down along with his personal “you are breathtaking… you are all breathtaking!” Cue healthful memes throughout the web endlessly extra. You’ll be able to see the iconic gamer second in the video under.
The query is, might Reeves truly play Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2 even when he wished to? In different phrases, might Johnny Silverhand return in the sequel, given the occasions of Cyberpunk 2077?
Warning! Spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 observe:
Whereas many gamers imagine Cyberpunk 2077 offered an acceptable ending for Johnny and V’s story, relying on which ending of the sport CD Projekt makes canon for Cyberpunk 2, the door could also be left open for Reeves’ return. Might Johnny return in cameo type maybe, having downloaded himself into somebody or one thing else? Canon ending dependent, might V find yourself turning into Johnny Silverhand in thoughts and physique for Cyberpunk 2? Maybe we might see Johnny as a part of a flashback to occasions earlier than Cyberpunk 2077, as Cyberpunk 2077 had?
It appears like Mike Pondsmith has been desirous about this ever since Reeves’ interview with IGN. In a CD Projekt livestream to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Cyberpunk 2077, Mike Pondsmith mentioned, matter of factly: “Not that way back, I noticed that Keanu would really like to discover a means to come again from the useless and play Johnny once more. I’ve methods to do this, Keanu. Contact me.”
Pondsmith, understandably, didn’t reveal what these “methods” have been, however as we’ve talked about, there are many theories followers have provide you with to make it make sense.
Reeves isn’t the solely huge Hollywood identify to seem in Cyberpunk 2077. Idris Elba starred in the profitable growth, Phantom Liberty, which Pondsmith was delighted by. Certainly, he revealed he frightened that CD Projekt may get sued as a result of his character, regarded a lot like Elba, earlier than it was revealed it truly was Elba taking part in the position.
“‘So let me get this straight,'” Pondsmith recalled of his response to the information. “‘You bought Keanu Reeves, and you then flip round and get Idris Elba. What’s subsequent? Scarlett Johansson?’
“Scarlett, you recognize, I’ve roles for you. You are able to do something.”
Scarlett Johansson in Cyberpunk 2? That continues to be to be seen. However Pondsmith has been chatty about the hotly anticipated sequel in the previous. In Might, Pondsmith teased some beforehand unknown particulars when he was requested about the scope of his involvement with Cyberpunk 2 (then often known as Undertaking Orion) at the Digital Dragons 2025 convention.
Pondsmith admitted he wasn’t as concerned this time round, however mentioned he does evaluation scripts and had been to CD Projekt to try the ongoing work.
“Final week I used to be wandering round speaking to completely different departments, and seeing what that they had, ‘Oh look, that is the new cyberware, what do you suppose?’ ‘Oh yeah, that’s fairly good, that works right here.’”
After which, the morsel on the sequel: that it contains a model new metropolis as well as to the Night time Metropolis we all know from Cyberpunk 2077. Pondsmith described this new metropolis as “like Chicago gone fallacious.”
“I spent lots of time speaking to one among the surroundings guys, and he was explaining how the new place in Orion, as a result of there’s one other metropolis we go to — I’m not telling you any greater than that however there’s one other metropolis we go to. And Night time Metropolis continues to be there. However I bear in mind it and going, yeah I perceive the really feel you’re going for this, and this actually does work. And it doesn’t really feel like Blade Runner, it feels extra like Chicago gone fallacious. I mentioned, ‘Yeah, I can see this working.’”
It’s price declaring that Pondsmith’s feedback don’t essentially counsel the Cyberpunk sequel will characteristic a future Chicago, somewhat a metropolis that has the really feel of a dystopian model of the metropolis. It could be a tackle future Chicago, however that isn’t confirmed based mostly on these feedback. There may be additionally some debate about whether or not Cyberpunk 2 will increase upon the Night time Metropolis that’s in Cyberpunk 2077 or characteristic a brand new model, and the extent to which it’s playable.
It appears like we’ll have to wait a while to discover out. CD Projekt is after all specializing in The Witcher 4, and CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski has urged Cyberpunk 2 received’t be out till a minimum of 2030.
Picture by Christian Petersen/Getty Photographs.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.