Reeves lent his likeness, voice and motion capture performance to Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077.
Keanu Reeves was a constant presence as Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red is developing the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, with the project entering pre-production phase earlier this year. The Polish studio has not shared any details about the game's story or setting, but Keanu Reeves, who played Johnny Silverhand in the first game, has said he would “love” to play to the role again in Cyberpunk 2. CD Projekt Red has not confirmed the actor's involvement in the sequel, but Reeves returned as Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion in 2023.
Keanu Reeves Hoping to Return in Cyberpunk 2
The John Wick actor, who is set to appear in comedy film Good Fortune later this year, told IGN that he would be more than willing to return as Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2. “Absolutely. I'd love to play Johnny Silverhand again,” Reeves said.
The actor, of course, did not divulge if CD Projekt Red had been in touch with him over the role for the sequel. Considering Reeves was the star attraction in Cyberpunk 2077 and a crucial part of the game's story, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him back in Night City.
Reeves lent his likeness and voice to Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, alongside performing motion capture for the character. Silverhand, a rockstar with a silver bionic left arm, died before the events of the game, but his consciousness survived on a military biochip. In Cyberpunk 2077, the player character is implanted with the same chip and can thus see and talk to Silverhand throughout the course of the game.
Reeves' performance as Silverhand was acclaimed at launch and is considered one of the highlights of Cyberpunk 2077. At one point in the game, players even get to play as Silverhand in a flashback mission.
The Hollywood star took on the role again in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, a major expansion that added a new story, map region, and characters to the game. Phantom Liberty also saw Idris Elba join the cast as Solomon Reed, a Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) operative.
Cyberpunk 2 Details
Earlier this year in May, Cyberpunk 2 shed its ‘project Orion' codename and entered pre-production phase. CD Projekt Red confirmed at the time that the development team on the RPG had grown to 96 staff members in April.
The developer's primary focus, however, is on The Witcher 4, which moved to full-scale production in November 2024 and has 422 staff members working on it as of April. The game, the first in a new trilogy of Witcher titles, does not yet have a release date, but CDPR has said it will not launch before 2027.
Cyberpunk 2, on the other hand, is likely further away, with no confirmation on its release timeline. Details around the sequel are also sparse. In May, Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith revealed that the sequel would feature a second city in addition to Night City from the first game. Pondsmith, whose Cyberpunk tabletop RPG inspired the setting, characters and story of Cyberpunk 2077, described the new city as “Chicago gone wrong”.
The Cyberpunk 2077 sequel was announced with the project Orion moniker in 2022. The game is in development at CD Projekt Red's North America studio in Boston. CDPR has said that Cyberpunk 2 will take “the Cyberpunk franchise further and continue harnessing the potential of this dark future universe.”
