Kiefer Sutherland has been signed to lend his voice to the next Metal Gear Solid video game. He’ll voice the main character, Snake.
Konami, the company behind the popular franchise, made the announcement before the start of E3, the major video game expo that starts this weekend. According to Variety, the company said it was looking to replace writer David Hayter, who had voiced the character since the series started, with a deeper voice for Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain.
Kanomi’s Hideo Kojima said during the event that the new game’s themes “are a little different from previous games in the series.” He explained that, “We’re taking on some very heavy subjects, such as race and revenge. This makes the tone much darker. As a result, I wanted Snake to have a more subdued performance expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice, rather than words.”
Phantom Pain is set in 1984 and Snake is 49-years-old in the game. “Therefore, we needed someone who could genuinely convey the facial and vocal qualities of a man in his late 40s,” Kojima added.
Sutherland, whose face will also be the basis for Snake in the game, is set to return to TV in a revival of 24 that will air on Fox next year. It will be a 10-episode miniseries.
Sutherland also stars in Paul W.S. Anderson’s Pompeii, which hits theaters on Feb. 21, 2014.
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