Keanu Reeves is the face of Johnny Silverhand, the rock legend of Night City. Since the actor came on board in 2018, trailers and presentations on Cyberpunk 2077 could no longer be imagined without him, “Breathtaking” became a popular meme. But Silverhand would have performed without Reeves – an artist from CDPR published Concept Arts that show what the character should actually look like.
Johnny, straight out of the 80s
These are the pictures that Senior Concept Artist Lea Leonowicz shows on her Artstation-Account shared (published with the consent of CD Projekt Red):
What is different? Johnny was clearly inspired by rock stars of the 80s – including a headband that he could have stolen from Axl Rose. Actually, this is hardly surprising, after all, the pen & paper basis Cyberpunk was created in 1988, accordingly the fictional world is strongly influenced by the style of the era. Without Keanu Reeves, Johnny would – logically – also have had a different face. And he would have been clean-shaven.
What has stayed the same? The eponymous cybernetic arm, the tattoos, the leather jackets, the cartridge belt, the samurai shirts – Johnny would have had all of that in his luggage even without Keanu. He also wears the dog tag pendant that he shows V in Cyberpunk 2077 around his neck in the concept pictures. His style and demeanor are obviously very close to what we see in the game.
If you want to know exactly who this Johnny Silverhand actually is and what role he plays in Cyberpunk 2077, then you’ve come to the right place:
more on the subject
Cyberpunk 2077: Who is Johnny Silverhand?
Did you know that there are many items that Johnny owned can be obtained in the game, including his iconic rifle? In our guide we explain how to find Silverhands items.
Which version of Johnny Silverhand do you like better? Can you Keanu Reeves find the right cast for the role? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comments.
