'Contact Me' — Cyberpunk Creator Mike Pondsmith Tells Keanu Reeves He Has Ways to Bring Johnny Silverhand Back From the Dead for Cyberpunk 2

Keanu Reeves would emotion to play Johnny Silverhand again, but however tin helium fixed the events of Cyberpunk 2077? It turns retired Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith has worked retired a mode to marque it marque sense, and has told the much-loved actor: “contact me.”

In September, speaking with IGN portion promoting his movie Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves said that helium wanted to beryllium portion of the sequel to CD Projekt's 2020 game.

“Absolutely. I’d emotion to play Johnny Silverhand again," Reeves said erstwhile asked if he’d beryllium funny successful revisiting his legendary rockstar violent quality successful Cyberpunk 2.

Reeves's love-affair with the Cyberpunk assemblage began with his viral "you're breathtaking" infinitesimal astatine E3 2019. Reeves, on-stage to denote the merchandise day of Cyberpunk 2077, was interrupted by a instrumentality who shouted retired "you're breathtaking!" Reeves' effect was to double-down with his ain "you're breathtaking... you're each breathtaking!" Cue wholesome memes crossed the net everlastingly more. You tin spot the iconic gamer infinitesimal successful the video below.

The question is, could Reeves really play Johnny Silverhand successful Cyberpunk 2 adjacent if helium wanted to? In different words, could Johnny Silverhand instrumentality successful the sequel, fixed the events of Cyberpunk 2077?

Warning! Spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 follow:

While galore players judge Cyberpunk 2077 provided a suitable ending for Johnny and V's story, depending connected which ending of the crippled CD Projekt makes canon for Cyberpunk 2, the doorway whitethorn beryllium near unfastened for Reeves' return. Could Johnny instrumentality successful cameo signifier perhaps, having downloaded himself into idiosyncratic oregon thing else? Canon ending dependent, could V extremity up becoming Johnny Silverhand successful caput and assemblage for Cyberpunk 2? Perhaps we could spot Johnny arsenic portion of a flashback to events earlier Cyberpunk 2077, arsenic Cyberpunk 2077 had?

It sounds similar Mike Pondsmith has been reasoning astir this ever since Reeves’ interrogation with IGN. In a CD Projekt livestream to observe the 5th day of Cyberpunk 2077, Mike Pondsmith said, substance of factly: “Not that agelong ago, I saw that Keanu would similar to find a mode to travel backmost from the dormant and play Johnny again. I person ways to bash that, Keanu. Contact me.”

Pondsmith, understandably, did not uncover what those “ways” were, but arsenic we’ve mentioned, determination are plentifulness of theories fans person travel up with to marque it marque sense.

Reeves isn’t the lone large Hollywood sanction to look successful Cyberpunk 2077. Idris Elba starred successful the palmy expansion, Phantom Liberty, which Pondsmith was delighted by. Indeed, helium revealed helium disquieted that CD Projekt mightiness get sued due to the fact that his character, looked truthful overmuch similar Elba, earlier it was revealed it really was Elba playing the role.

"'So fto maine get this straight,'" Pondsmith recalled of his absorption to the news. "'You got Keanu Reeves, and past you crook astir and get Idris Elba. What's next? Scarlett Johansson?’

"Scarlett, you know, I person roles for you. You tin bash anything."

Scarlett Johansson successful Cyberpunk 2? That remains to beryllium seen. But Pondsmith has been chatty astir the hotly anticipated sequel successful the past. In May, Pondsmith teased immoderate antecedently chartless details erstwhile helium was asked astir the scope of his engagement with Cyberpunk 2 (then known arsenic Project Orion) astatine the Digital Dragons 2025 conference.

Pondsmith admitted helium wasn’t arsenic progressive this clip around, but said helium does reappraisal scripts and had been to CD Projekt to cheque retired the ongoing work.

“Last week I was wandering astir talking to antithetic departments, and seeing what they had, ‘Oh look, this is the caller cyberware, what bash you think?’ ‘Oh yeah, that’s beauteous good, that works here.’"

And then, the morsel connected the sequel: that it features a marque caller metropolis successful summation to the Night City we cognize from Cyberpunk 2077. Pondsmith described this caller metropolis arsenic “like Chicago gone wrong.”

“I spent a batch of clip talking to 1 of the situation guys, and helium was explaining however the caller spot successful Orion, due to the fact that there’s different metropolis we sojourn — I’m not telling you immoderate much than that but there’s different metropolis we visit. And Night City is inactive there. But I retrieve looking astatine it and going, yea I recognize the consciousness you’re going for this, and this truly does work. And it doesn’t consciousness similar Blade Runner, it feels much similar Chicago gone wrong. I said, ‘Yeah, I tin spot this working.'”

Could Keanu Reeves reprise his relation arsenic Johnny Silverhand for Cyberpunk 2? Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

It’s worthy pointing retired that Pondsmith’s comments bash not needfully suggest the Cyberpunk sequel volition diagnostic a aboriginal Chicago, alternatively a metropolis that has the consciousness of a dystopian mentation of the city. It whitethorn good beryllium a instrumentality connected aboriginal Chicago, but that isn’t confirmed based connected these comments. There is besides immoderate statement astir whether Cyberpunk 2 volition grow upon the Night City that’s successful Cyberpunk 2077 oregon diagnostic a caller version, and the grade to which it is playable.

It sounds similar we'll person to hold immoderate clip to find out. CD Projekt is of people focusing connected The Witcher 4, and CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski has suggested Cyberpunk 2 won’t beryllium retired until astatine slightest 2030.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].