Highlights
- Fans speculate that Keanu Reeves could be in Death Stranding 2 based on recent photos shared by Hideo Kojima.
- The photos show Keanu Reeves with Death Stranding star Norman Reedus.
- Kojima has a history of working with big-name actors, and Reeves previously visited the studio where Death Stranding was made.
Fans are starting to think that Keanu Reeves could be in the upcoming Death Stranding 2 thanks to some recent photos shared by Hideo Kojima. The original Death Stranding was somewhat divisive among gamers, with some decrying its somewhat mundane delivery gameplay and others praising its haunting atmosphere, solid vocal performances, and resonant story themes. Despite this, Death Stranding was nominated for several Game of the Year Awards when it was released in 2019, and sales were high enough for Death Stranding 2 and a film adaptation to be announced by Kojima a few years later.
Death Stranding 2 was officially revealed with a cryptic trailer during last December’s Game Awards 2022 livestream. Not much has been confirmed about the upcoming sequel since, except for Hideo Kojima promising that it will feel “nostalgic” yet distinct from the first Death Stranding and describing how he rewrote the game’s plot to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic that gripped the world not long after the original was released. Kojima also revealed that audio recordings for Death Stranding 2 had started this February, and a new social media post from the visionary developer hints that a major Hollywood actor could be part of the game’s already star-studded cast.
Hideo Kojima recently shared a series of photos on Instagram of Death Stranding 2 star Norman Reedus hanging out with Keanu Reeves at an unknown location. While the pictures themselves seem to be of Reeves and Reedus simply enjoying nice weather and taking their motorcycles for a ride (a pair of bikes can be seen in the background of one image), some gamers think it could mean that Keanu Reeves will have a role in Death Stranding 2 since it was Kojima that shared the photos in the first place.
Aside from being one of the most popular film stars in Hollywood, Keanu Reeves is no stranger to appearing in video games. He reprised his role as Neo in the 2003 tie-in game Enter The Matrix and joined his co-star Carrie Ann Moss in The Matrix Awakens, a tech demo meant to demonstrate the graphical capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. His most notable video game appearance was in Cyberpunk 2077 and its upcoming Phantom Liberty DLC, where he lent his voice and likeness to the rebellious Night City rockstar Johnny Silverhand.
Keanu Reeves actually visited Hideo Kojima at the studio where Death Stranding was made back in 2019, and Kojima has stated that he would like to work with Reeves on a future project shortly afterward. Kojima certainly has a penchant for drawing big-name actors to his games, as the original Death Stranding featured stars like Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen - and Elle Fanning is said to have a major role in Death Stranding 2. Only time will tell if Keanu Reeves will be joining them in Kojima’s upcoming post-apocalyptic sequel, which will likely continue his ethos of blurring the line between movies and video games.
Death Stranding 2 is currently in development for PS5.
