Smile 2 star Kyle Gallner pitches himself as V in Paramount’s Cyberpunk 2077 movie

Kyle Gallner wants the lead in Paramount’s live-action Cyberpunk 2077 film, and he made the pitch within hours of the studio confirming the project. The Smile 2 actor posted a photo of himself with a close-shaved haircut, close to V’s look in the game’s marketing art, captioned “Take me to night city.”

Paramount announced on 8 October that the film is in development, as we covered at the time. No casting, plot or director details have been released, so Gallner’s post is a fan-style audition, not a casting report. Nothing suggests Paramount has responded.

Replies were quick to embrace the idea. IGN reports that many fans pictured Gallner as the male version of V opposite Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand, the rockstar whose consciousness shares V’s head in CD Projekt Red’s 2020 RPG.

What’s known about the film

The story is still open. IGN notes the film could follow V and Johnny, or look at another part of Night City, such as Idris Elba’s Solomon Reed before he meets V, or a character from the anime Edgerunners. That is speculation, not a plan.

CD Projekt Red co-CEO Michał Nowakowski said on X that the studio is “excited about Paramount as a future partner who shares our creative ambitions for the Cyberpunk franchise.” He added: “We look forward to sharing more details at the appropriate time.” GamesRadar reports that CD Projekt Red will co-produce alongside Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer of the live-action Transformers films.

The franchise also has more on the way beyond the film. Edgerunners 2 is set to arrive on Netflix on 20 October 2026, according to IGN. For readers who want to revisit Night City first, our Cyberpunk 2077 tag collects our coverage.