Sonic the Hedgehog is coming back to the big screen once again in 2024 for a third movie. New additions, like Shadow, will be joining the cast alongside all of the returning characters. With the success of the previous two films and the upcoming Knuckles series arriving soon, the producer has said he hopes to turn the Sonic movies into 'Avengers-Level Events' fans can get excited for.
If you're looking for the latest information on Sonic the Hedgehog 3, we've gathered everything we know below—including the release date, cast, and potential story details.
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Latest Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Trailer
Although the first Sonic the Hedgehog 3 footage was revealed at Cinemacon this year, it has yet to be officially released as a trailer. Below is the most recent logo reveal for the film.
You all thought I was gone, but I’ve just been underground. What you’ve seen from me is only a #shadow of things to come… pic.twitter.com/3W9Rh728Tt
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) February 2, 2024
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Release Date
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be released in theaters December 20, 2024. Paramount Pictures announced the release date on the official Sonic Movie Twitter page on August 9, 2022, just four months after theatrical release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It maintains the pattern of the Sonic films being released every two years, but in a different season.
Fans have pointed out that the December 20 release date pays homage to Sonic Adventure 2: Battle coming out on the Nintendo GameCube on December 20, 2001 after the original Dreamcast version was released on the 10th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. That, along with Shadow appearing in the mid-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, gives fans a hint that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be heavily based on Sonic Adventure. This was also recently confirmed by the producer.
Cast and Characters
Ben Schwartz will reprise his role as Sonic, and his friends Tails and Knuckles will be respectively voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba once again. Keanu Reeves has been confirmed to voice Shadow. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter will return to play Sonic's adoptive human parents Tom and Maddie Wachowski. Jim Carrey will play Dr. Eggman for the third time around, and Lee Majdoub will reprise his sidekick Agent Stone. Tom Butler will reprise his role as G.U.N. Commander Walters.
Alyla Browne confirmed in February that she has been cast to play Maria Robotnik, the most important figure in Shadow's backstory. The young actress, who starred in Mad Max: Furiosa, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, and Sting, posted a picture on Instagram of herself wearing a black padded jacket with the hoodie covering her face, leading fans to believe that the movie will adapt her tragic death from Sonic Adventure 2.
Krysten Ritter, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, and Jorma Taccone have also been cast in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but we don't know which Sonic characters they'll be playing — or voicing, for that matter. Rumors have been circulating that Ritter, who starred in Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad, and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, would voice Rouge the Bat, who was introduced in Sonic Adventure 2 alongside Shadow.
Story Details
Paramount Pictures nor Sega have given many details about the storyline for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. However, going by Shadow appearing the mid-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 2; the logo design for the movie's title being designed after Sonic Adventure 2's logo (see teaser trailer above); Crush 40 lead Johnny Gioeli signing a deal with Paramount for the game's theme, Live and Learn, to be used in the film, and Maria being featured in the film, we can speculate that the plot for the upcoming sequel will be heavily based on the 2001 Sonic Adventure sequel. The producer has even confirmed as much, by saying that the film will take a lot from that game.
Because some characters haven't been revealed to be among the film's cast, like Amy Rose and Rouge the Bat, some story details would be changed around. For example, if Amy won't give Shadow the motivational speech about saving the human race and giving them a chance to live fulfilling lives because that's what was Maria's dying wish, someone else will have to take on that task, like Tom or Maddie, as the Space Colony ARK hurtles towards the earth.
Where Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Left Off
In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic settles into his life with Tom and Maddie in Green Hills, Montana and becomes a vigilante superhero to help the public, which backfires because of his recklessness. When the Wachowskis go to Hawaii for Maddie's sister Rachel's wedding, he gets a visit from Dr. Eggman, who escaped the Mushroom Planet — which Sonic exiled him to at the end of the first film — with the help of Knuckles, who demands to know the location of the powerful Master Emerald, as finding it will help restore honor to his ancestors and the Echidna tribe. Sonic then teams up with Tails, who left his home planet to warn him about Knuckles hunting him down, to find the mythical jewel.
Meanwhile, Eggman offers to help Knuckles find the Master Emerald with the intention of stealing it. When Sonic reaches the underwater temple after seeing the light from the Master Emerald emanating off the coast of Hawaii, he finds Knuckles and Eggman have already reached the jewel and proceeds to fight Knuckles. During the fight, Eggman jumps at the opportunity to seize the Master Emerald and fuses with it, becoming powerful and betraying Knuckles while sinking the temple underwater in the process.
Back at Green Hills, Eggman harnesses his new powers to build the Death Egg Bot, and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles band together to stop him from attacking the town and reclaim the Master Emerald. By the time they get the gem, it breaks down to seven Chaos Emeralds, and Sonic, nearly beaten to death, uses them to transform into Super Sonic and defeat Eggman and his robot once and for all. After the battle, Eggman is presumed dead and Sonic, along with the Wachowskis, adopts Tails and Knuckles into the family, and they swear to protect the Master Emerald from evil.
As G.U.N. searches for any sign of Eggman, an agent tells the commander about files containing information about a secret research facility that houses Project Shadow. The capsule in said research facility opens up to reveal Shadow the Hedgehog waking up from 50 years of cryogenic slumber.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
