Is Keanu Reeves in ‘The Acolyte’?

The Star Wars universe is about as expansive as the Milky Way itself, with Disney and Lucasfilm continuing to add spinoff series and films to its ever-increasing, astronimonical catalogue.

In the past few years alone, we’ve been treated to Star Wars spinoff shows like The Mandalorian, Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Disney’s one-man space race is far from over. Perhaps the buzziest upcoming Star Wars project on Disney’s roster is The Acolyte, a series set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace.

While plot details have been kept largely under wraps, various reports have suggested that The Acolyte will be a female-centric series taking place in a different timeline than other Star Wars projects, and will chronicle the dark and shadowy final days of the High Republic Era. 

In keeping with women-focussed take on the universe, the cast of The Acolyte is led by Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg, alongside the likes of Jodie Turner-Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Abigail Thorn. The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto and Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae will also appear in The Acolyte, which will hit screens on June 4, 2024.

That’s a pretty starry cast in its own right, but one name has been popping up in discussions of The Acolyte ever since the show was announced in 2020. So, we’re answering once and for all: will Keanu Reeves replace his John Wick weapons for a lightsaber in The Acolyte?

Is Keanu Reeves in The Acolyte?

Rumors around Keanu Reeves’ potential appearance in The Acolyte have been circulating since 2023, with ​​Giant Freakin Robot reporting last July that the Speed star had filmed a scene for the upcoming series. Reports indicated that Reeves would appear in a cameo role, but more details around the extent of his involvement remain scarce. 

The reports add to growing calls among fans for Reeves to be involved in the Star Wars universe in some capacity. Many fan-casting efforts and supposed “leaks” have placed the actor in connection with animated spinoffs, like voicing the role of Sith King Valar, but his work in The Acolyte would be live-action. 

Forbes reported last year that Disney had recruited an actor for The Acolyte who was at the top of many fan-casts, with audiences most eager to see him portray Revan. Alongside that character — a Jedi who turned to the dark side during the Jedi and Mandalorian Wars, and whose name sounds eerily similar to Reeves’ surname — it’s been theorised that the actor could play a whole new Jedi character. 

If Reeves were to appear as Revan it would have to be in a flashback scene, in keeping with the reports of a cameo — since the character died long before the events of The Acolyte take place. In any case, it’s likely that Reeves might portray a Jedi, since Disney revealed that the series will feature the most Jedi of any Star Wars project. 

Given reports that Reeves’ role is a cameo, it’s also possible that — like Daniel Craig, Ed Sheeran and Stephen Colbert before him — he will feature in The Acolyte as a Stormtrooper. It’s worth noting that despite all the reports, rumors and fan-casts, neither Disney nor Lucasfilm have confirmed Reeves’ involvement in the series.

For now, we’ll just have to wait until The Acolyte hits screens on June 4.