Keanu Reeves joins Sonic the Hedgehog 3! The Matrix star to voice new dark character Shadow in animated film

Keanu Reeves has joined the cast of Sonic The Hedgehog 3. 

The actor, 59, who has been working on the dark comedy Outcome with Jonah Hill, 40, and daytime diva Susan Lucci, 77, will play a dark character in the highly anticipated animated adventure. 

News The Matrix star had ventured into the world of Sonic, based on the popular video game series, was first reported by The John Campea Show and confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter through multiple sources. 

The MTV Movie Award winner will be providing the voice of a character named Shadow, who is new to the film franchise, but appeared in the 2001 video game Sonic Adventure 2. 

Shadow is a Sonic alter-ego created by Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik to deal with his depression after the events in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. 

Keanu Reeves, 59, has joined the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 3  (Pictured in London in June 2023)

Reeves will provide the voice of Shadow, a sort of Sonic alter-ego created by Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik.  Shadow has the same powers as Sonic, but is more dark and edgy

According to those who saw the presentation at CinemaCon, Shadow is the opposite of Sonic. He has the same kinds of powers, but is dark and edgy. 

Paramount Pictures, the studio producing the Sonic franchise, hinted at the character when they released a teaser trailer for the new movie in February. 

'You all thought I was gone, but I’ve just been underground. What you’ve seen from me is only a #shadow of things to come…' they wrote on social media.

The Sonic franchise has been an extremely successful one. 

The first film in 2020 became a breakout hit earning more than $319 million worldwide. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was even more successful, pulling in some $405 million. 

Idris Elba will reprise his role as the voice of Knuckles and James Marsden will appear again as Sonic's pal Tom Wachowski.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is currently scheduled to be released in theaters in December. 

Keanu is also set to star in the upcoming film Good Fortune, which marks the directorial debut of Aziz Ansari. Joining Ansari in the cast are Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer. 

Keanu  and his girlfriend Alexandra Grant stole the spotlight at the MOCA Gala 2024 on Saturday night

Following a delay caused by last year's writers' strike, filming for Good Fortune commenced in January 2024, taking place in LA's Koreatown neighborhood.

Reeves has built a devoted following over his nearly four-decade career, notably for his memorable depiction of a hitman in the hugely popular John Wick franchise.

 Before John Wick, he achieved renown for his portrayal of Neo in the groundbreaking "Matrix" series, spanning releases in 1999, 2003, 2002, and a recent installment in 2021.