Who would have thought we’d see Keanu Reeves pop up in an animated short drawing from the Armored Core universe? It seems even Secret Level’s executive producer found it astonishing. When Reeves made his debut in that initial Secret Level trailer, anyone could have been taken aback. With his star power, it’s not something you’d immediately connect with Armored Core, especially if you’re used to seeing him in Cyberpunk 2077. During a recent chat with GamesRadar, executive producer Dave Wilson, alongside Tim Miller, the mind behind Deadpool, gave some insight into how they got Reeves involved.
Miller let us in on the fact that he and Reeves had only crossed paths briefly before this project. Apparently, Reeves is a massive fan of animation. Miller shared, “He dropped by Blur [Studios] to discuss a completely different film project, but quickly pivoted to say, ‘Let’s talk about Love, Death & Robots because I’m a huge animation enthusiast.’”
I laughed when he recounted saying, “Well, we’re putting together something else. Interested in a role?” Reeves just lit up and said, “Absolutely, sign me up.” Miller then floated the idea to Wilson about where Reeves might fit, initially thinking Miller was pulling his leg when he mentioned Reeves joining the show.
Wilson recalled his surprise and initial skepticism, partly due to miscommunications. “Tim spoke into his phone and I received a message asking about a role for ‘piano’. I was puzzled until it clicked, and I still couldn’t quite believe it,” Wilson laughed. To top it off, Reeves jumped in when much of the series was already mapped out. Wilson recalled sorting through various audition tapes and telling Miller, “We’re running out of roles here, Tim!”
Despite the timing, there was still a significant spot in the series that Reeves could fill. Fans don’t have much longer to wait to see his performance, as the animated short is set to kick off its first set of episodes next week on Prime Video, starting December 10.
