Thursday’s Night City Wire episode — the last before Cyberpunk 2077 finally launches — showcased Keanu Reeves and his concept of, approach to, and performance as Johnny Silverhand, the role-playing game’s “co-protagonist.”
“You almost have to play a moment [...] with three different behavioral attitudes,” Reeves told Night City Wire. “Either he’s happy, or he’s being a dick, or he’s satisfied. [...] You get to see Johnny as a rock star, you hear about his military past, you know, he’s fighting for survival. I think there’s a Johnny Silverhand in all of us.”
Reeves expounded on the role in a four-minute segment (above) supplemented by a new character trailer for Johnny Silverhand (below). CD Projekt Red writer Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz said Silverhand “is more of a co-protagonist” than a sidekick to V, the player character.
“What Keanu brings to Johnny Silverhand is nothing more and nothing less than Keanu,” Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz said. “To anyone who’s seen his movies, Neo [from The Matrix] is Keanu, and Keanu is Neo; John Wick is Keanu, Keanu is John Wick. And Johnny Silverhand will be Keanu.”
Cyberpunk 2077, delayed twice this year, launches Dec. 10 on Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. Versions of the game optimized for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are scheduled to be released in 2021, and will be available as free upgrades for those who own the game on PS4 and Xbox One, respectively.