Is Keanu Reeves ‘Cyberpunk’ character more like Neo or John Wick? Let’s find out what fans think.
The year of the pandemic has caused a lot of delays. Not just for TV series and movies, but also for video games. Many of the major titles have undergone several delays. One of them includes the title of ‘Cyberpunk 2077‘. One of its characters, Johnny Silverhand, has been voiced and designed to look like Keanu Reeves. ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ officially released on December 10. But most console and PC game platforms allowed video game players to purchase or download the game early on their systems.
HIGHLIGHTS —
- Keanu Reeves prefects Johnny Silverhand
- How is ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ different from ‘The Matrix’?
- Does Keanu Reeves’ ‘Cyberpunk’ character resemble John Wick?
Keanu Reeves prefects Johnny Silverhand
Keanu Reeves’ non-playable character Johnny Silverhand is a former guitarist, former terrorist, and punk guitarist who also offers perfect advice, support, and sarcastic comments. Created through motion-capture technology, Johnny Silverhand perfectly resembles Keanu Reeves who wears mirrored aviators, a bulletproof vest, and heeled boots. He has a gun in one hand and a guitar in the other.
During an interview with “Vanity Fair”, Reeves spoke about how he did a brief amount of motion capture to get a library of some behaviours.
“Like, how does he walk? How does he sit? Does he slouch? How does he play the guitar? How does he move?”
He then was mostly focused on trying to bring the character to life vocally. He likened how it was a voiceover-heavy project like a radio play. Since each player will go on a customized journey, Reeves had to record a range of reactions. Though he felt it was fun to play different versions of the same guy, whether he is angry, contemplative, he is making fun of you or he is supporting you.
How is ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ different from ‘The Matrix’?
Keanu Reeves’ role as Neo in ‘The Matrix’ earned tremendous stardom. It soon made him one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. So, when people got to learn that Reeves is part of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, they began wondering if it would be similar to ‘The Matrix‘. Just a week before its launch, Keanu Reeves spoke about the differences between doing ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and ‘The Matrix’.
He said that he had done a fair bit of motion capture like in ‘The Matrix’ films. So, to start doing motion capture for Johnny Silverhand was all very familiar to him. The only difference he felt was technological, how close they were going to real-time review. He added that creatively it was very familiar, in the sense of starting a library of gestures and the toolbox for the animators to work with for the character.
For years, many video games and movies have used ‘The Matrix‘ as a reference to create realistic scenarios out of their imaginations.
Does Keanu Reeves’ ‘Cyberpunk’ character resemble John Wick?
In ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, Johnny Silverhand wants to rip the Japanese mega-corporation, Arasaka Corporation, as it was the reason behind the murder of his girlfriend, Alt Cunningham. But she ends up as a digital AI construct with Alt’s traits. It is also largely believed that Silverhand doesn’t have a physical body. This would also explain why the streets of Night City have a graffiti reading, ‘Where’s Johnny’?
Similar to Silverhand, Keanu Reeves as John Wick was also driven by revenge. Hence, both the characters share a similar desire for righteous retribution.
In an episode of ‘Night City Wire’, CD Projekt Red writer Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz spoke about Reeves as Johnny Silverland. He acknowledged that what Keanu brings to Johnny Silverhand is nothing more and nothing less than Keanu.
“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” said Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz. Keanu Reeves also spoke about his character. “You almost have to play a moment with three different behavioural attitudes. 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.”
Tell us what you think of Keanu Reeves’ character Johnny Silverland in the comment section below!
