The little blue speedster is coming back to the big screen, with a release date set for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Adapted from Sega’s hugely popular video game of the same name, the first Sonic film did surprisingly well and was surpassed in success by its sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The anthropomorphic hedgehog is taking a little more time though now, as we have a year and a half to wait until we can see his blue blur on the big screen once again.
At the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, after defeating Robotnik once again, Sonic, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna move in with the Wachowski’s to continue living a peaceful life. Unbeknownst to them, Robotnik’s assistant is searching for him after the battle, and a secret base housing Shadow the Hedgehog has been discovered.
Though it would seem likely that the main villain of the next movie will be Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic’s polar opposite, the character usually always ends up as an anti-hero in the games. With Jim Carrey recently announcing his retirement from acting, it is unclear whether he will return to form as the psychotic villain. The movie is reportedly going to follow on from the Knuckles spinoff series, which is opening up to create an entire Sonic Universe.
Both films did well at the box office, with Sonic the Hedgehog pulling in $319.7 million worldwide and the sequel topping that with over $400 million worldwide. It is one of the more successful game-to-big screen adaptions of the last decade, and Paramount is hoping to capitalize on that success by expanding to television with the Knuckles series.
The next film will likely see the return of voice actors Ben Shwartz (Sonic), James Marsden (Tom Wachowski), Idris Elba (Knuckles), Tika Sumpter (Maddie Wachowski), and Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Tails). Fans will hope to see Jim Carrey back, as many felt his portrayal of Dr. Robotnik was a return to true form for the actor, just really giving it everything he had.
Sonic the Hedge 3 will be released on December 20, 2024.