Sonic 3 director says Keanu Reeves did "research" on Shadow the Hedgehog because he wanted to create a "faithful version" of the character

Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves) in Sonic 3

(Image credit: Paramount)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 director Jeff Fowler has praised Shadow the Hedgehog actor Keanu Reeves ahead of the threequel's release.

"It's so awesome that we got Keanu Reeves to voice the character and he was so fantastic to work with," Fowler said on Day 2 of Sonic Revolution's Shadow Revolution online stream (head to 4:57:30 on their Twitch channel for their YouTube channel or more).

"He thinks the character is awesome and he definitely understood what we were going for and he was very excited to do his version of it. Like all the cast, [he] really wants to get it right and really cares."

Fowler pointed to Reeves' dedication to the role – from recording booth and beyond – as a key factor behind why he thinks fans will "love" his take on Shadow.

"He would give us so many different versions of line readings and just want to keep going. It was not sort of showing up and reading the script into a microphone," Fowler said.

"He really wanted to create a very fan faithful version of the character. He did research. In our first meeting, he very clearly had gone and done his homework, which was awesome. I can't say enough wonderful things about Keanu and what he brought to the character and the experience of making this movie. I think people are going to really, really love his version of Shadow."

As fun as the idea of Keanu Reeves sitting down to play through Shadow's debut in 2001's Sonic Adventure 2 is, we imagine the John Wick actor probably sifted through pages of notes and other media before settling into his take on the Ultimate Lifeform.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ earlier this year, Sonic 3 producer Toby Ascher labeled the upcoming release as "probably the most exciting thing that we've done in this franchise."

Ascher added, "It's going to be this giant, fun, incredible movie that obviously takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2 and some of the games that I know the core Sonic Team grew up loving."

Sonic 3, which introduces Keanu Reeves’ Shadow, also stars Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, and Colleen O'Shaughnessey. It's set to race into cinemas on December 20.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.