Keanu Reeves To Star In ‘Death Stranding’? Hideo Kojima Explains

Keanu Reeves has been very busy lately. Aside from appearing in movies like “John Wick 3,” the actor is also set to appear in CD Projekt Red’s upcoming RPG “Cyberpunk 2077.” Photos of the star standing alongside a famed video game creator, however sparked rumors that he’ll be starring in another big game as well. Is this true?

Famed video game creator Hideo Kojima recently tweeted photos of him and Keanu Reeves standing alongside one another at Kojima’s own studio, Kojima Productions. The photos, captioned “Our Keanu visited Kojima Productions,” caused the internet to speculate that he’ll be appearing in “Death Stranding.” Kojima clarified that that wouldn’t be the case.

Speaking to GameSpot during Tokyo Game Show, Kojima said two people tried to persuade him to get Keanu Reeves for “Death Stranding” instead of Mads Mikkelsen. He said one of them was Nicolas Winding Refn (who plays Heartman). The other person was a chef where he had dined once. Both of them wanted the actor from “The Matrix” to be in the game.

Kojima said that he was almost persuaded to get Reeves for the game, but decided not to get him. Instead, the game creator decided to pursue Mikkelsen.

“But I did write the character for Mads [Mikkelsen], imagining him,” Kojima said, “so I am very happy that I offered it to Mads in the end.”

The game site noted that Mikkelsen’s “menacing stare and calm demeanor” seems to be “perfect” for the game’s otherworldly atmosphere and characteristics. And while Reeves is a great guy (as per Kojima), it appears that Mikkelsen was the best choice for the task.

Now what about Reeves? Will he appear in “Death Stranding?” Perhaps not, but Kojima said he might appear in a future project.

“Keanu is a great guy, and in the future it would be great if we could work together. It could be a game, or maybe a movie or TV show I might work on, so maybe next time. But I want to say Mads is really great,” Kojima said. “So in the future, I would like to offer something to Keanu.”

It appears that Keanu Reeves is in demand at the moment. Players of “Death Stranding” might not see him there, but they’re sure to see him in Kojima’s future projects. He’ll be appearing in “Cyberpunk 2077” when it releases in April.