Secret Level could inspire movie or TV versions of Mega Man, Warhammer, and Armored Core. Fans might love it even more if Keanu Reeves returned to play his role in Armored Core.
Armored Core fans got a special surprise in Secret Level’s 13th episode. Keanu Reeves brought his Johnny Mnemonic and Neo vibes to life in “Armored Core: Asset Management,” a 14-minute animated short about a mech pilot with shady intentions.
The episode featured fast-paced robot battles in a dystopian alien world and stood out because of Reeves’ lifelike appearance and his calm, John Wick-style voice. Executive producer Dave Wilson told The Wrap that he worried Reeves might leave the project at one point, especially since the actor had to schedule time for motion capture at the studio.
A few days before the shoot, I got an email from Reeves saying, ‘Hey, I’m a little injured,’ I thought, ‘This is where he backs out.’ But no, he said, ‘I’m going to show up’ and worked through everything. He filmed for 13 hours straight to make sure we got all the shots we needed. It’s amazing to know that even people at the peak of their careers are still willing to do things just because they love creating great work.
Wilson remembered
The John Wick movies showed how dedicated Reeves is to his roles. Whether he’s acting physically or with his voice, he makes his characters feel real and believable.
Reeves’ character in Cyberpunk 2077 felt real because he really connected with it. In a 2020 interview with NPR, he shared,
I love storytelling, and many of my friends play video games.
When CD Projekt Red approached him for the game, they explained the story and the character they wanted him to play, Johnny Silverhand. Johnny is a rebellious character who encourages others to wake up. Reeves spent 45 hours recording content for the game, plus motion capture sessions. He said he was familiar with the process because he had done similar work for The Matrix movies.
Wilson shared that Reeves joined Secret Level later in the process when most episodes had already cast their voice actors.
Keanu came on quite late, and we already had all the artwork up, There weren’t many roles left, so I started getting videos from other actors and said, ‘Tim, I don’t have any parts left.’
he told Games Radar
Miller said Reeves was open to any role and turned out to be a fan of Miller’s previous series, Love, Death & Robots. Wilson confirmed that Reeves is just as kind in real life as he appears onscreen.
You hear all those stories about how great Keanu is, but it’s true. He’s the nicest person to work with, Even though we only filmed for a day or two, he showed up ready and fully prepared. He’s just an amazing person.
he said
You can watch Secret Level on Prime Video.
Source: The Wrap