Phantom Liberty is just about set to introduce an entirely new experience for fans of Cyberpunk 2077, and central to the project are the contributions of British star actor Idris Elba.
Following up the work of Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077’s main story, Elba is said to be playing a character that dramatically makes an impression on both Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand and player-protagonist V throughout their stay in Dogtown.
While this won’t be Elba’s first acting appearance in a video game—he previously played Coach Ernie Ames in NBA 2K20 and Truck in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)—it does appear that this is easily shaping up to be his most prominent gaming role to date yet.
Idris Elba’s character in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
In Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Idris Elba stars with both his voice and likeness as Solomon Reed. According to Kotaku, the entire conception process for Reed was done only after Elba had already signed on. As such, his story and how V interacts with him in the expansion were all written and designed with Elba in mind.
Who is Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty?
Described by Phantom Liberty narrative director Igor Sarzyński as one of the three most important characters in the incoming spy-thriller expansion, Reed is a masterful, yet tortured sleeper agent who’s proven himself countless times in covert intelligence missions over the years for the NUSA’s Federal Intelligence Agency. As shown in the Phantom Liberty official cinematic trailer, seven years prior to the events of the expansion, Reed was betrayed by his partner/protégé Songbird after she locked him inside a passenger train filled with hostile Arasaka troops.
After having miraculously survived this assassination attempt, Reed will be serving as a sidekick/mentor for V during their efforts in Dogtown, something that seems to naturally fit the bill since he’s also described as having a strong, multifaceted sense of loyalty and duty.
Idris Elba’s music in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
For big-time fans of Elba off the screen, he also appears to have pulled from his experiences as a DJ to help work on the music of Phantom Liberty. Elba is said to have picked tracks for Phantom Liberty’s new Impulse radio station and produced three songs for the new Dark Star radio station.
