Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 2024 film action-adventure comedy film based on the video game series published by Sega and the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). Directed by Jeff Fowler, the film stars James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Lee Majdoub, Idris Elba, and Jim Carrey, reprising their roles from the previous two installments, with Keanu Reeves joining the cast.
Plans for a third Sonic the Hedgehog film were announced in February 2022 during ViacomCBS's investor event before the release of the second film. Due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, filming for animated characters began in July 2023 in Surrey, England, while filming with physical actors began in November of that year in London. The film will draw inspiration from the video games Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Shadow the Hedgehog (2005).
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 premiered at the Empire Leicester Square in London on December 10, 2024, and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 20th, 2024. It received positive reviews, with praise for Carrey and Reeves' performances. A sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, is in development and slated for a 2027 release.
Plot[]
Off the coast of Japan, a secret Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) prison facility's systems are hacked, awakening Shadow the Hedgehog from suspended animation. Elsewhere, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are celebrating the anniversary of Sonic's arrival on Earth with their adoptive parents Tom and Maddie Wachowski. G.U.N. Director Rockwell arrives and recruits Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to stop Shadow, who is causing chaos in Tokyo. Shadow overpowers the three and escapes.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles meet with G.U.N. Commander Walters, who informs them that in 1974, G.U.N. discovered Shadow in a meteorite, and used his power for various experiments. When things went wrong, the project leader was arrested, and Shadow was placed into stasis. Suddenly, Dr. Ivo Robotnik's drones attack and fatally wound Walters; before he dies, Walters gives Sonic a digital keycard and warns him to keep it safe. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, not knowing who to trust, vow to find Shadow without G.U.N.'s help. They encounter Ivo's assistant, Agent Stone, who reveals that Ivo did not send the drones; they form an uneasy alliance with Ivo and track the drones to an abandoned G.U.N. base.
At the base, Shadow reminisces about his friendship with Maria, the project leader's granddaughter. One night, when they tried to escape the base, Maria was accidentally killed by a G.U.N. agent, for which Shadow seeks revenge. Shadow captures Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, while Ivo meets Project Shadow's director, his estranged grandfather Gerald Robotnik. Gerald activated the drones to lure Ivo. He explains that there are two keycards needed to activate a weapon he designed for G.U.N., the Eclipse Cannon—an orbital laser that can target any location on Earth, which Gerald intends to use to destroy G.U.N.'s headquarters. Ivo joins Gerald, betraying Sonic. Shadow takes the keycard from Tails and activates a black hole to destroy the base.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles escape using a ring portal and recruit Tom and Maddie to steal the other keycard from the G.U.N. headquarters in London. During the mission, Shadow gravely wounds Tom and obtains the second keycard. Ivo, Gerald, and Shadow launch the Eclipse Cannon. Furious that Shadow nearly killed Tom, Sonic abandons Tails and Knuckles, steals the Master Emerald, and transforms into Super Sonic using the seven Chaos Emeralds contained within. Sonic rushes to the Eclipse Cannon and confronts Shadow. They fight, with Shadow absorbing the Chaos Emeralds' energy to become Super Shadow. Sonic overpowers Shadow, but relents upon realizing he has been consumed by revenge. Sonic tells Shadow about losing his guardian Longclaw and that love for the people they have lost is more important than revenge. A touched Shadow apologizes and agrees to help stop the Eclipse Cannon.
Gerald reveals his intent to use the Eclipse Cannon to destroy Earth as revenge for Maria's death. Ivo prefers to conquer Earth rather than destroy it and the two fight. Tails and Knuckles arrive, and the three knock Gerald into an energy field, disintegrating him. Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, and Ivo redirect the cannon away from Earth. When the Eclipse Cannon's core begins to melt down, Ivo and Shadow sacrifice themselves to move the Eclipse Cannon out of Earth's range before it explodes, though Shadow survives. Sonic reconciles with Tails and Knuckles, and Tom recovers from his injuries. During a race with Tails and Knuckles, Sonic is attacked by an army of Metal Sonic robots but is saved by Amy Rose.
Cast[]
Voice acting[]
- Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog: An anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds.
- Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Miles "Tails" Prower: An anthropomorphic yellow-orange fox who can fly with his twin-tails.
- ldris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna: A hot-headed and serious anthropomorphic red echidna warrior with super strength.
- Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog: an anthropomorphic red-striped black hedgehog resulting from a secret government program called Project Shadow.
Actors[]
- Jim Carrey in a dual role as the following:
- Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a mad scientist and Sonic's arch-nemesis who he often refers to as "Eggman".
- Gerald Robotnik, Ivo's grandfather.
- James Marsden as Tom Wachowski: the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana.
- Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski: Tom's wife and the local veterinarian of Green Hills.
- Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone: Robotnik's assistant.
- Tom Butler as Commander Walters: the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who is the leader of the military organization Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.).
- Alyla Browne as Maria Robotnik
- Krysten Ritter as TBA
- James Wolk as TBA
- Sofia Pernas as TBA
- Cristo Fernández as TBA
- Jorma Taccone as TBA
Production[]
Development[]
In February 2022, Sega Sammy Group and Paramount Pictures had been in development of a third Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) film after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). The film was formally announced during ViacomCBS's investor event.[2] Jeff Fowler returned as director, and Neal H. Mortiz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno returned as producers.[3] A series starring Knuckles the Echidna, who had appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, for Paramount+, was developed simultaneously with the film.[2]
Casting[]
On March 6, 2020, James Marsden confirmed that he had signed on for multiple sequels.[4] In April 2022, Jim Carrey–who portrays Dr. Robotnik in the films–announced that he was considering retiring from acting.[5] With his possible retirement, Moritz and Ascher confirmed that his role as Robotnik would not be recast in any sequels if he followed through with his retirement plans. However, they remained hopeful that they could develop scripts good enough for him to continue the role.[6] In February 2024, it was officially confirmed that Carrey would be reprising his role for the film,[3] along with Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Lee Majdoub, and Tom Butler.[7] Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, and Jorma Taccone were cast in undisclosed roles;[7] Taccone was previously hired as an episode director for the Knuckles series.[8] Schwartz began recording for the film the same month.[9]
Filming[]
Second-unit filming began in late July 2023 for animated characters only without physical actors (due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike) in Farnham, Surrey, England.[10] Principal photography was originally scheduled to begin on August 31, 2023, in London, England,[11][12] but was delayed to September of that year.[13] Production with physical actors started on November 29, 2023, announced with a teaser image of Shadow the Hedgehog's stand-in statue used in filming.[14]
Music[]
In December 2023, Crush 40 vocalist Johnny Gioeli said there had been talks of including the song "Live and Learn" from Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) in the film.[15] In January 2024, Tom Holkenborg, who also composed for the first two films, was announced to be returning for the film.[16] The following month, Gioeli confirmed "Live & Learn" would be included in the film.[17]
Release[]
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be released theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures on December 20, 2024.[18]
Marketing[]
In April at CinemaCon 2024, Paramount showcased first-look footage of the film, which featured a heavier Robotnik bemoaning his current state before his assistant Agent Stone informs that "they found him", and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles fighting a silent Shadow. On August 25, a tease of Keanu Reeves's involvement as Shadow was posted to the film's TikTok account, which referenced Reeves's appearance in the first film, captioned "foreSHADOWing".
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The announcement for the movie was likely a pun on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, as it was announced along with a Knuckles spinoff series, titled Sonic the Series. The Paramount+ Facebook page even responded with a comment about this reference.[19]
- The US release date for this movie, 20 December, is also the same date that Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was released on in 2001. It is unknown if this is simply a coincidence, or an intentional choice due to the movie drawing elements from said game.
- The logo of the movie is a nod to the logo of Sonic Adventure 2.
See also[]
Notes[]
Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team, published by Sega, directed and programmed by Yuji Naka, designed by Hirokazu Yasuhara, and illustrated by Naoto Ohshima
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Paramount+ (@paramountplus) on Twitter (15 February 2022). Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved on 15 February 2022. “Paramount+: #SonicMovie3 is officially in development from @ParamountPics and @SEGA! Plus, next year a new original #Knuckles series with @IdrisElba is coming to #ParamountPlus. #SonicMovie2 hits theaters April 8!”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kroll, Justin (February 15, 2022). "Sonic The Hedgehog Universe Continues To Grow As Sega And Paramount Sign Off On Third Film As Well As A Knuckles Spin-Off Series In The Works At Paramount+ With Idris Elba Reprising Role". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lang, Brent (2024-02-02). "Jim Carrey Returning for 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' (EXCLUSIVE)" (en-US). Variety.
- ↑ Perine, Aaron (March 6, 2020). "Sonic the Hedgehog Star James Marsden Confirms He's Signed on for Multiple Sequels". Comicbook.com.
- ↑ "Jim Carrey 'Fairly Serious' About Retiring From Acting: 'I Have Enough. I've Done Enough'". Variety (April 1, 2022).
- ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Producers Believe Jim Carrey Would Return for Part 3". MovieWeb (April 7, 2022).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs named:3
- ↑ Otterson, Joe (2023-04-17). "'Sonic the Hedgehog' Spinoff Series 'Knuckles' at Paramount+ Sets Cast, Including Adam Pally, Tika Sumpter" (en-US). Variety.
- ↑ "Sonic star Ben Schwartz gives promising update on the upcoming third movie" (en). gamesradar (2024-02-21).
- ↑ Williams, Sophie (2023-07-30). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Begins Filming in Surrey with Leaked Set Images" (en-US). Maxblizz.
- ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Production Start Date Revealed for Ben Schwartz-Led Movie". ComingSoon.net (20 June 2023).
- ↑ "'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Sets Summer Filming Date in London". Collider (June 20, 2023).
- ↑ Tabbara, Mona (2023-08-08). "UK crews in crisis as SAG-AFTRA strike thwarts production: "Is the UK industry really our own?"" (en). Screen Daily.
- ↑ Tinoco, Armando (2023-11-29). "'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' Teases First Look At Shadow" (en-US). Deadline.
- ↑ Bevan, Rhiannon (2023-12-16). "Crush 40 Says Live & Learn Could Appear In Sonic 3" (en). TheGamer.
- ↑ "Tom Holkenborg to Return for Jeff Fowler's 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3'" (en-US). Film Music Reporter (January 31, 2024).
- ↑ ""Live And Learn," The Anthem Of A Generation, Will Be In The Next Sonic Movie - Aftermath", aftermath.site, 6 February 2024. (in en)
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 9, 2022). "Paramount Sets Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Release, Pushes Date For Smurfs Animated Musical". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ "Paramount+ on Facebook" (15 February 2022). Retrieved on 15 February 2022. “Sonic Movie 3 is officially in development from Paramount Pictures and SEGA! Plus, next year a new original Knuckles series with Idris Elba is coming to Paramount+. Sonic Movie 2 hits theaters April 8!”
External Links[]