Keanu Reeves Wants Back as Johnny Silverhand — But Cyberpunk’s Sequel Has a Canon Problem

Keanu wants back in – but can Johnny Silverhand actually return?

This caught my attention because Johnny Silverhand isn’t just a celebrity cameo – he’s the chaotic conscience of Cyberpunk 2077. Keanu Reeves told IGN he’s game to reprise the role in the sequel (codename Project Orion), saying, “Absolutely, I’d love to play Johnny Silverhand again.” I’d love that too. The snag? Cyberpunk 2077’s endings don’t agree on whether Johnny exists, where he is, or who wears the body at the end. That’s a nasty continuity knot to untangle if CD Projekt wants Johnny back as more than a nostalgia grenade.

• Branching endings make a clean Johnny return tricky without picking a canon path.
• Workarounds exist (Braindances, flashbacks, another “construct”) but risk undercutting 2077’s choices.
• Mike Pondsmith teases a new city – think “a Chicago gone wrong” — alongside Night City.
• Don’t hold your breath: Orion is in early concept phase and likely years out, potentially near 2030.

The Johnny Silverhand problem

Cyberpunk 2077 ends a few very different ways. Depending on your path, Johnny is: gone for good; still lingering as a construct; or cruising into the sunset in V’s body. That last one — the Temperance ending — effectively writes V out and makes Johnny the lead. Others shut the door on Johnny entirely. It’s powerful because your choices matter. It’s also a nightmare if you want a big, unified sequel with Johnny front and center.

Could CD Projekt dodge the canon bullet? Sure. The universe already supports Braindances (sensory recordings), memories, and digital “constructs.” A Johnny cameo via archived BDs or flashbacks would be clean and respectful. A parallel construct hidden by Arasaka is technically possible too — but that starts smelling like a lore band-aid. The worst route would be nuking the player’s agency to pick a single “true” ending. That would score a marketing win with Keanu on the poster and an integrity loss with everyone who lived by 2077’s “your choices matter.”

I’m not against Johnny returning. Reeves helped sell Cyberpunk’s soul after the messy 2020 launch, and Phantom Liberty proved CDPR can write him with nuance. But if Johnny returns, make it meaningful. Let his presence complicate the new story, not overwrite ours. A mentor-as-memory? A ghost in the machine guiding a new protagonist? That fits both the world and the choices we made.

“We have a city to burn” — maybe not the same one

Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith says he’s seen scripts and early work, and he dropped a tasty hint: a brand-new city alongside Night City, with the vibe of “a Chicago gone wrong.” That’s exactly what the sequel needs. Night City’s vertical density and street-level storytelling carry 2077 and Phantom Liberty — walking Dogtown felt wildly different from Watson. A rusted-out, prohibition-haunted, corp-union battleground Chicago analog could push new factions, music scenes, and cyberware culture. Johnny’s “rockerboy” ethos reads differently in a city built on labor fights and surveillance — there’s a fresh angle there if CDPR leans into it.

World-building is CDPR’s strongest weapon now that the tech has finally caught up. If Orion gives us Night City plus a second metropolis with its own economy, police state logic, and netrunner subculture, that’s an instant step up from a map expansion. The trick will be depth over sprawl; Night City works because every block whispers a story. Don’t chase size. Chase texture.

Reality check: timeline, tech, and expectations

Project Orion is in concept phase at CD Projekt’s new North American studio in Boston, while the main team focuses on The Witcher 4. Translation: patience. A late-decade release window feels realistic; 2030 isn’t a wild guess. That also means this is firmly next-gen territory. CD Projekt has moved future projects to Unreal Engine 5, and it’s safe to expect Orion to follow suit. That’s good news for stability after REDengine’s rocky past and for faster iteration on AI crowds, lighting, and systemic chaos — the stuff that makes Night City feel alive rather than staged.

The bigger question is creative leadership. Phantom Liberty hit a tone — tighter quests, sharper writing, more reactive systems — that 2077 lacked at launch. If the sequel inherits that philosophy, it’ll matter more than any celebrity cameo. I’d rather have a Keanu-lite but cohesive story than a marketing-heavy sequel that rewrites my ending to make room for sunglasses and a guitar.

What to watch as Orion takes shape

• How CDPR addresses canon: announce a set path, offer multiple imports, or sidestep with a new protagonist.
• Johnny’s role: full co-lead, limited mentor, or archival presence via Braindances.
• The new city’s identity: distinct systems (policing, transit, gangs), not just new neon.
• Tech ambitions grounded in reality: UE5 features used for AI life and traversal, not just prettier screenshots.
• Cross-media synergy: Edgerunners-style tie-ins that expand the world without spoiling the main plot.

TL;DR

Keanu Reeves wants to be Johnny again, and I’m here for it — as long as CDPR doesn’t trample our endings to make it happen. The smarter play is a new-city sequel that respects player choice, uses Johnny where it makes sense, and doubles down on the tighter, richer design we saw in Phantom Liberty. Take your time, CDPR. Make our choices count, then bring the heat.