Sonic the Hedgehog 3 showed off some early footage of the movie at CinemaCon 2024, teasing the big-screen debut of the franchise's iconic antagonist, Shadow.
Exhibitors at the event got the first-ever look at the popular black hedgehog in all his glory but there is currently no information on who will be voicing the iconic rival speedster. The brief teaser showed Jim Carrey returning as Dr. Robotnik, who looks utterly worse for wear after losing to Sonic again.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
(Photo : Sega, Paramount / Screenshot taken from official website)
However, the mad scientist has yet again found a new way to try and defeat his nemesis when his assistant Stone, played by Lee Majdoub, discovers the powerful-looking Shadow the Hedgehog. He is someone that Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba, described as being "much more impressive than the hedgehog I fought previously."
Shadow was first introduced into the Sonic franchise in the game Sonic Adventure 2 which was released in 2001. He has since become one of the most popular characters in the entire series and was originally a villain. However, he later becomes a sort of antihero who is sometimes at odds with Sonic on how to fight the main antagonist, according to The Wrap.
The new movie will bring back Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba to reprise their roles as the voices of Sonic, Talks, and Knuckles, respectively. Before the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 held the record for the highest-grossing video game film ever with $405 million worldwide.
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It became the first big hit family film since the coronavirus pandemic forced theaters to shut down. Since then, the video game movie craze has only continued to grow with various hits, including the iconic plumber siblings and Five Nights at Freddy's.
Paramount is now committing Sonic to the lucrative and competitive holiday season where it will face off against the likes of Disney's "Mufasa," which is a prequel to "The Lion King" that is made in the same style as the 2019 CGI remake.
Shadow the Hedgehog
What is currently known about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is that the movie is on track for a Dec. 20, 2024, release. It will also add some new cast members, including Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernandez, and Jorma Taccone, said IGN.
There is still no information about who these actors will play in the upcoming movie but Browne did confirm that she will be playing Maria Robotnik. Carrey's return as Dr. Robotnik was also seen as a surprise as there were talks that he was retiring after Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
If Shadow is seen riding a bike in the film, it would mean that the producers are bringing in elements from his stories across multiple games. He did not start using vehicles until his self-titled game from 2005, which goes in line with the previous movies as they are not 100% accurate recreations of the games.
Early casting news suggests that Shadow's backstory will be touched on in the third movie in the franchise. Despite no details about the voice of the black hedgehog making it to the public, there were rumors that have been flying around that threw the name of Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen, according to Kotaku.
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