Keanu Reeves is ready to jack back into Night City. The actor recently said he “absolutely” wants to return as Johnny Silverhand in CD Projekt Red’s upcoming Cyberpunk sequel.
But pump the brakes before you get too excited. Reeves’ comment is just him expressing interest. CD Projekt Red hasn’t confirmed any casting decisions for the sequel, known internally as Project Orion.
The Polish developer announced Project Orion back in October 2022 as the next major Cyberpunk game. Development is still in early stages at their North American studios in Boston and Vancouver, working alongside the Warsaw team.
Johnny Silverhand became one of gaming’s most memorable characters when Cyberpunk 2077 launched in 2020. Reeves brought the digital rockerboy terrorist to life through voice acting and motion capture. The character exists as an engram—basically a digital copy of someone’s consciousness—stuck on a biochip in protagonist V’s head.
Reeves returned to the role for 2023’s Phantom Liberty expansion, which helped cement Cyberpunk 2077‘s comeback after its rocky launch. The base game has now sold over 25 million copies.
But bringing Johnny back presents some challenges. Cyberpunk 2077 has multiple endings with different fates for both V and Johnny. Making him a major character again would force CD Projekt Red to pick one ending as canon, potentially invalidating player choices.
Fans have already started theorizing workarounds. Johnny could appear in flashbacks to his rocker days in the 2020s. Or maybe as another engram copy floating around cyberspace. Some suggested using braindances—the game’s virtual reality memories—for a cameo appearance.
The sequel could also explore other parts of the Cyberpunk universe beyond Night City. A new setting with a fresh protagonist would let Johnny appear without messing with the original game’s endings.
