Keanu Reeves walking on stage at E3 2019 to talk about Cyberpunk 2077 remains one of the most iconic moments in video games to this day. After his in-game character appeared on the big screen, urging us all to “Wake the f*** up,” he then topped that moment by responding to a loud compliment from the audience with, “You’re breathtaking! You’re all breathtaking!”
It’s a moment I’ll never forget, and I wasn’t even there in person. However, since seeing The Matrix Resurrections, I now have a new reading of that experience. What if Keanu took the role as research for his latest movie? Mild spoilers below so only read on if you’re cool with that.
See the moment Keanu Reeves walked out at E3 2019 here
In The Matrix Resurrections, Neo is a video game developer who finds himself working on a new title that’s being tossed around by a group of marketing staff like a rabbit in a wolf den. With each suggestion that’s made, our protagonist looks increasingly disenfranchised, almost bewildered by the ideas being asserted.
The way Neo’s game is being mishandled by those around him seems to have a similarity to real life, particularly a high-profile game from 2020. You know, the one that Keanu Reeves was in? The one that the publisher said he played and loved, before Reeves announced that he’s yet to play it?
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I’m not saying Keanu Reeves took the role of Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 because he knew the game would have a dumpster fire of a launch. What I’m asking is did he take the role to get a deeper look at game development for his role in The Matrix Resurrections?
If so, did Keanu then take what he witnessed firsthand at CD Projekt RED and apply it to his performance in the latest Matrix film? There are certainly similarities between the two circumstances, and the actor has drawn on real life for his work before. Even as far back as 1986’s Youngblood, Keanu Reeves made use of real experience.
Seeing how Cyberpunk 2077 turned out, with reports of developers being mistreated, it sure does seem as though Keanu Reeves portrayal of Neo in The Matrix Resurrections could’ve been partly inspired by CD Projekt’s story. After all, Keanu was there, so who knows how much he was aware of at the time? Then again, it could just be a coincidence.
Featured Image Credit: CD Projekt RED / Warner Bros. PicturesTopics: The Matrix, Cyberpunk 2077, Opinion