The Matrix and John Wick Star Keanu Reeves to Play ‘Wood Sculpture’ Samurai in Stop Motion Film Hidari

Hidari is Reeves’ first role in a Japanese original production, although he is no stranger to voice work, having played Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4, and Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077. He’s also familiar with playing samurai, having starred in 2013 movie 47 Ronin in the lead role.

“I’m thrilled by the vision behind Hidari,” Reeves said. “From the proof of concept to the developed script, the team has created something truly extraordinary. It has all the makings of an exceptional film — one I’m excited to see and eager to be part of. I believe this project has the potential to bring something very special to audiences worldwide.”

Kawamura sounds equally thrilled that he’s managed to snag Reeves for the role, saying: “One of the films we referenced while creating the Hidari pilot film and developing the screenplay was John Wick. And when I made my own personal dream list of actors I hoped could someday be part of the feature adaptation, the very first name I wrote down was Keanu Reeves. I never imagined that he would actually join the project. Even now, it still feels surreal to me. But with such an incredible actor becoming part of Hidari, our entire team is more motivated than ever to create something truly special together with him.”

Keanu Reeves already has plenty on his plate, including a film adaptation of BRZRKR, the comic book series he co-created, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which will see him reprise his role as Shadow, and John Wick 5.

Image credit: Hidari / YouTube.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.