Keanu Reeves Voices Shadow in Sonic 3 Movie

Sonic 3 Film Confirms Keanu Reeves as ShadowFirst Official Trailer May Arrive as Early as Next Week

Hollywood star Keanu Reeves has been officially confirmed to voice the Sonic franchise's notorious anti-hero, Shadow the Hedgehog, in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie. The announcement arrived via a teaser clip posted on the Sonic movie TikTok account. In the video, a message reading "ForeSHADOWing" was followed by the titular hedgehog hero Sonic crossing his fingers, with the scene then cutting to a clip of a young Keanu Reeves in the movie Speed, and Sonic exclaiming, "Yes! Keanu, you are a national treasure!"

Rumors of Reeves voicing Shadow first emerged several months ago. Shadow’s introduction was initially hinted at during the previous Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, where he was shown to be cryogenically frozen at a mysterious facility. Known for his enigmatic personality and conflicting motivations, Shadow often served as both a rival and ally to Sonic. It's speculated that this sets the stage for a conflict between Sonic and Shadow in the upcoming film. An official trailer, rumored to arrive as early as next week, could provide a clearer view of the dynamic between Sonic and Shadow.

Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic, shared his excitement in a previous interview with Screen Rant for the sequel’s introduction of Shadow, saying, "I think fans are going to be thrilled and I think fans understand how much we care about them. We altered the film based on the response to the first trailer, which I think was the very right decision. I think fans will feel like they're being cared for, I hope, because we always do it for them, and it hasn’t failed yet."

The success of the Sonic movie franchise has significantly impacted the broader Sonic brand. In a 2022 interview with VGC, Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka noted the challenge of meeting expectations from both dedicated fans and a broader, new audience, saying, "Because of the movies' success, we’re reaching a wider audience of people who may never have played the game, or don’t play it often. It’s this larger group of fans we must now create content for."

With Sonic the Hedgehog 3 slated for release on December 20, fans will soon see Sonic, Shadow, and the rest of the cast in action.