Keanu Reeves was undeniably the coolest guy in Cyberpunk 2077, but the new trailer shown at The Game Awards for upcoming expansion Phantom Liberty puts his title in serious doubt. His unmistakable voice gave it away before we even saw his face in the trailer: It's Idris Elba. In Cyberpunk 2077. Heck yeah.
Elba plays a character named Solomon Reed (a cool name, too). "Reed is a veteran New United States of America agent, and apparently the only person players can trust to help them fulfill an impossible mission of espionage and survival," says CD Projekt.
We're still a little unclear what the actual story is in Phantom Liberty—CD Projekt describes at as a "spy-thriller" expansion, and it may have something to do with the Jefferson Peralez mission in Cyberpunk 2077 which involved a heap of intrigue and political operatives.
"Tell me you've got a plan," says Johnny Silverhand in the trailer, after we see a downed presidential plane. "Not a plan," a voice says. "A man." That man is Elba's character Reed, an FIA agent. "Peace comes at a price," Reed says. "Someone's always gotta pay."
If I wasn't interested in Phantom Liberty before (and I mostly wasn't), I am now. The in-game version of Idris Elba looks great, too. Below you can see a bonus picture of Elba covered in face-capture gear during the expansion's development. Somehow he still looks manages to look like a badass. Keanu Reeves is cool, but Elba is the coolest.
