Keanu Reeves, renowned for his roles in action-packed blockbusters like The Matrix and John Wick series, is all set to expand his roles by voicing the character of Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This announcement comes hot on the heels of Paramount’s recent presentation at CinemaCon, where attendees were treated to an exclusive glimpse of Sonic 3. The sneak peek revealed that Dr Robotnik, portrayed by Jim Carrey, will be making a comeback, although in a somewhat out-of-shape condition following the events of Sonic 2. However, his fortunes take a turn when he introduces Shadow the Hedgehog, a character first introduced in the video game 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2.

Shadow, true to his name, is a character with a darker edge compared to his counterparts, including the blue Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), the yellow Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and the red Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba).

Reeves has previously voiced characters such as the titular kitten in Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key’s 2016 comedy Keanu, stuntman toy Duke Caboom in 2019’s Toy Story 4, and Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, in 2022’s DC League of Super-Pets.

According to People, apart from Jim Carrey, returning to their roles from the previous Sonic films are director Jeff Fowler and live-action actors James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, Tika Sumpter as Tom’s wife Maddie, and Tom Butler as Commander Walters.

Upon its release in April 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 became the highest-grossing video game movie ever in North America, surpassing the success of the franchise’s previous film at that time.

In addition to his involvement in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Reeves is set to reprise his role as John Wick in the 2025 Ana de Armas spinoff Ballerina and stars as an angel in Aziz Ansari’s comedy Good Fortune. He is also working as a producer, bringing his co-written comic book series BRZRKR to both a big-screen adaptation and an anime series.

The actor was last seen in John Wick: Chapter 4 and before that, reprised his iconic role of Neo in 2021’s The Matrix: Resurrections.

His upcoming work, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to hit theaters on December 20.