If Shepard is alive, I don't want them to be the playable character. Shepard's story is done. There are other stories to tell in this universe that do not require them to be the center. Bonus points if we can choose the species of the player in the next games.

The Baldurs Gate franchise has always been about the Bhallspawn. The canon protagonist, as much as there is a singular one, is The Dark Urge, likely the one that rejects the "gift."