Idris Elba Surprised by Keanu Reeves Rumors

Keanu is rumored to play Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reportedly includes Keanu Reeves as Shadow and Idris Elba has heard the rumors. The Knuckles star sat down with GamesRadar+ to preview his new series. Elba told them that the chatter surrounding Shadow has reached him and he’s not at liberty to confirm or deny. “I heard the rumors. Yeah, I know nothing,” Elba clarified. “But wow, Keanu, yeah? Big tings.” That’s a safe way to go about this whole business. The Knuckles star told Collider this week that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would be a big reward for longtime fans of the franchise. Reeves appearing as Shadow would definitely qualify.

“I can tease nothing. No, seriously. I don’t even know what’s gonna happen in it. No, I’m joking. I can tell you that it’s super exciting,” Elba revealed. “I can tell you that it really does get deeper into the universe of Sonic. I think 3 ‘s probably the one for all the real diehard Sonic fans . They’re gonna get all of those Easter eggs in it. Jim is incredible, man. What a performance. It’s so great to work against, even though I’m never there with him, but I get to hear his voice. Bomb.”

Idris Elba’s Son Loves The Sonic Franchise

People are really excited about Knuckles. One of those engaged fans is Elba’s son Winston. The Sonic the Hedgehog star talked to Entertainment Tonight about how excited the 10-year-old is for the Paramount+ series and the movie later this year. Elba gets a kick out of having a role that his kid enjoys so much. 

“It’s really fun exploring him because he’s quite a character, you know, and in this TV show, he’s a fish out of water,” the star told them. “He’s like a little kid that’s, sort of, exploring Earth and humans and people. And it’s funny to actually play out, a lot of fun doing the voiceovers.”

“As far as universes go, you want them to be just as good as the source material, if not better. So you can be like, ‘Wow, the Sonic universe has grown characters that we love,'” Elba added. “I think I’ve done a very good job of pulling the Knuckles because [he’s] a beloved character for the big, hardcore Sonic fans… It’s quite a big part of it.”

What’s Coming For Knuckles This Spring?

Paramount served up a synopsis for the new show: “The new live-action series will follow Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior. The series takes place between the films SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3.”

Knuckles streams on April 26, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada.  

Do you believe the rumors? Catch all of our Sonic discussion at @WWG on social media!