Keanu Reeves Is Voicing a Samurai Because Of Course He Is
The John Wick star’s love for animation is public knowledge at this point and his latest role is a reminder of his devotion.
Keanu Reeves has done a lot of things over the course of his career. He’s been an action hero, a bullet-dodging computer hacker, an air-headed high schooler, and (arguably most importantly) he’s been his sweet self.
Now, the actor is set to voice the main character in the ambitious stop-motion epic, Hidari, announced yesterday at the Cannes Film Market. If Reeves’ track record with animation is anything to go by, he probably didn’t need much convincing.
The action-packed feature comes from the mind of Masashi Kawamura who was inspired by real accounts of the life of the legendary Edo era craftsman Hidari Jingoro, who Reeves will lend his voice to.
In 2023, Kawamura posted the film’s proof-of-concept video to YouTube. It has since amassed close to 5 million views.
According to the movie’s official synopsis, the story will follow Jingoro after he lost everything; his father figure, fiancée, and to add insult to injury (literally) the samurai also lost his right arm. Not wanting to let despair overtake him, the legendary craftsman turns his grief into a motive for vengeance against those who betrayed him. With his companion, the “Sleeping Cat,” Jingoro faces enemies and flexes his carpentry skills in his tale of revenge and self-discovery.
Now, if you know anything about Keanu Reeves and the work he’s done in the past, some flags might have popped up. A disgruntled widower seeking revenge? A prosthetic arm? It seems like two of Reeves’ most loved characters, John Wick and Johnny Silverhand, performed the Dragon Ball Z Fusion Dance.
But this isn’t to say that the film is unoriginal, it isn’t by any means, only it is clear that Reeves will bring exactly what he needs to bring to the role.
Kawamura himself seems to think so, telling Variety that he’s “super excited to be collaborating with Keanu. When someone with his experience and creative vision watches your proof of concept and says ‘I want to be part of this,’ it’s an incredible feeling. He’s not just lending his voice to Hidari, he’s helping us shape and expand this world, and I can’t wait to see where we take it together.”
Reeves is similarly eager in the article, saying that he’s “thrilled by the vision behind Hidari” and that the movie has “all the makings of an exceptional film—one I’m excited to see and eager to be part of. I believe this project has the potential to bring something very special to audiences worldwide.”
Having lent his voice to various animated projects throughout the years, it’s really no surprise that Reeves would be so on board. His enthusiasm for animation has always been evident, and he’s been known to seek out the people behind projects he loves.
When he met with Secret Level showrunner, Tim Miller, Reeves confessed he was interested in being involved with Miller’s other animated show, Love, Death & Robots. Being a lifelong fan of Reeves, Miller told Gamesradar that he was blown away by the request.
“He’s a huge animation fan,” Miller recalled, noting that Reeves had originally come to discuss an unrelated film entirely but quickly steered the conversation toward his love for animation and how he wanted to know everything about Love, Death & Robots. When Miller pivoted and offered him a spot in Secret Level instead, Reeves reportedly said “fuck yeah.” Hidari is currently in development with no set release date, information and updates can be found on the movie’s official website.