Dying Light: The Beast's own lead actor was surprised to be asked back to reprise his role: "I thought I was dead!"

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Kyle Crane's actor was just as shocked as the rest of us

Dying Light: The Beast
(Image credit: Techland)

Even Kyle Crane's voice actor was surprised at his character returning for Dying Light: The Beast.

Earlier this week, Techland unveiled Dying Light: The Beast, a new 20-hour spin-off for the horror franchise starring returning protagonist Kyle Crane from the original open-world horror game. This is pretty darn surprising, considering Crane met his end in a variety of nasty ways at the end of both Dying Light, and its follow-up expansion, The Following.

This really came as a surprise to Roger Craig Smith, Kyle Crane's returning voice actor. "I was just as surprised as anybody. I was like: 'But I thought I was dead!'" Smith told GamesRadar+ at Gamescom 2024. "So I was pleasantly surprised, because it was such a fun role to mess around with during Dying Light 1," the actor added. 

"And then I was super intrigued to see 'how have we made this happen, and what has taken place in order for us to have Kyler come back?' Obviously, I'm thrilled just to have a chance of tying up some loose ends, and seeing it evolve. And I can't say too much, but I was extremely excited. It's a very surreal thing, because it's not something that happens very often in one's career," the veteran actor continued.

We actually know why Crane's surprising return happened: it wasn't the original plan for Techland. The developer explained to GamesRadar+ that Dying Light: The Beast began as a very different game, but story plans were scrapped once plot details leaked online. It was then that the developer pivoted to a story starring Crane, and luckily enough, Smith was available to reprise the role.

As things stand, The Beast takes place 13 years after the original Dying Light, and sees Crane embarking on a revenge mission against the mysterious figures who have held him captive for over a decade. Crane now has zombie DNA mixed into his blood, which is what's behind the beastly powers showcased in the game's reveal trailer earlier this week.

Dying Light is coming for Resident Evil's horror crown: "We want to be the ultimate zombie experience - you think zombie game, you say Dying Light."

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.