'Cyberpunk' Keanu Reeves is everything the internet has ever wanted

Keanu Reeves seems to be everywhere these days. The movie star took over theaters this spring with John Wick: Chapter 3 and managed to knock Avengers: Endgame off the top of the box office; he's made the rounds on late night shows, dropping some choice quotes and telling Stephen Colbert what he thinks happens when we die; and he completely stole the show when he popped up as Ali Wong's boyfriend in the Netflix movie Always Be My Maybe. The actor can basically do no wrong, so it's no surprise that Reeves received a raucous ovation when he stepped out on stage at E3 on Sunday to talk about his role in the upcoming game Cyberpunk 2077.

The premise of Cyberpunk 2077 won't be too big of a departure for Reeves, who is no stranger to sci-fi action. The game is set in a dystopian future (stop us if you've heard that one before) where humans have been significantly enhanced by technology. Set in a corporation-controlled megacity in the seceded state of California, everything from waste collection to maintenance and public transportation has become entirely reliant on robotics. Humans with cyborg-style modifications are common, which carries its own set of issues including a significant amount of violence. Crime runs rampant through the city, with gangs battling to control different regions.

The cyberpunk nightmare will be an RPG-style game that gamers will play through a first-person perspective. The massive, sprawling city is free for players to roam, where they will encounter rival gangs, characters who speak in multiple languages, an endless number of activities and, for some reason, lots of nudity and the ability to have sex with just about anyone you want. (Game developer CD Projekt Red somewhat notoriously recorded 16 hours of slo-mo captured sex scenes to include in its last game Witcher 3, so this is just kind of the studio's calling card at this point.)

So where does Reeves fit into this world? The actor will be playing the role of Johnny Silverhand, a recognizable figure for anyone familiar with the lore of the Cyberpunk world. Silverhand is a member of the Rockerboys, a group of rebellious punk rockers who fight against their corporate overlords with music. He is a singer and guitarist who sports a shiny, cybernetic arm. Reeves will be lending his likeness to the character, as well as his voice and full-body motion capture. It's not clear just how much of Silverhand will be in the game, but he's sure to be a treat as soon as he pops up.

For his part, Reeves seemed pretty excited about his latest role. On stage at E3, he said, "the feeling of being there, of walking the street of the future, is really going to be breathtaking."

Cyberpunk 2077 is scheduled to be released on April 16, 2020. It will be available for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.