Over the last few years actor Keanu Reeves has enjoyed a renaissance thanks to the success of the John Wick film series, some playful memes, and a thoughtful presence in interviews. But it wasn’t until his introduction for Cyberpunk 2077 that Reeves started to introduce that goodwill to the gaming world.
Now that the two worlds have crossed over, Keanu Reeves has started to ingratiate himself to the game development industry, sharing his thoughts on its success and his excitement for entering that world. And the industry has taken notice, with Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima inviting the actor to his studio for a visit.
Kojima shared a few images of Keanu Reeves at Kojima Productions, where the Matrix actor posed alongside the Metal Gear Solid auteur. Reeves also signed Kojima Productions’ wall with the message, “Save Us Hideo.”
Of course, Keanu Reeves’ visit to Kojima Productions is sure to prompt speculation that the actor might be a part of Death Stranding. Kojima has teased numerous cameos for his game, including friends from the filmmaking world like Guillermo Del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn. It stands to reason, then, that Keanu Reeves might have been invited to lend his likeness to the game, while Kojima’s dev team does the rest of the work.
That being said, Death Stranding is in its final few months of production and it’s likely too late to squeeze Keanu Reeves in without putting undue stress on the development team. Kojima said that he is “crunching” to finish Death Stranding, which suggests that everything is focused on fine-tuning the experience and not adding anything at the last minute.
In all reality, Keanu Reeves is just another famous face to visit Kojima Productions and get sneak peek at Death Stranding. Kojima’s love of pop culture (especially movies) has afforded him the ability to invite numerous famous guests to his studio and early on there was speculation that Death Stranding was going to be filled with celebrity cameos. That still may be the case, but it would be surprising to see Keanu Reeves make an appearance.
Reeves’ fan base shouldn’t worry too much, though, because he has a substantial role in next year’s Cyberpunk 2077. As the mysterious Johnny Silverhand, Reeves is doing the voice work and the motion capture for the character, which is jumping all-in to the world of video games.
Death Stranding releases November 8, 2019 for PS4.