Keanu Reeves made his debut as Shadow in the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

The clip, which you can watch below, gives fans their first look at Sonic’s new arch-nemesis in the trilogy, voiced by Reeves.

In the game series, Shadow is an anthropomorphic hedgehog with black fur and something of an antagonist.

In the trailer, Reeves’ character proves to be more than a match for Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, prompting the trio to turn to Dr. Robotnik for help.

Reeves’ participation in the film was first announced in April.

The John Wick The star joins an all-star cast, with previous films including Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Idris Elba.

The upcoming film, scheduled for release in the US on December 20, 2024, and in the UK the following day (December 21), will see many of the cast reprise their roles from the previous films. The third film is inspired by the video games of the early 2000s. Sonic Adventure 2 And Shadow of the Hedgehog.

The franchise has been commercially successful so far, with the first two films grossing a total of $725.2 million (£547.8 million) at the box office.

In a three-star review of the second film, NME wrote: “Schwartz was born to voice Sonic. Best known as Jean-Ralphio, who voiced the scene from the sitcom Parks and Recreationhe’s funny and energetic enough to keep the film’s pace going, but also smart enough not to overdo it.”

The review continues: “The chattering rodent could be a very annoying protagonist in other hands. Here he is lovable.”