Keanu Reeveshas seemingly been confirmed to be lending his voice to Shadow inSonic the Hedgehog 3.As revealed onThe John Campea Show, and backed up by sources from The Hollywood Reporter, the ever-popular actor will be joining the returning stars of the franchise, including Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik and Ben Schwartz as the voice of the titular blue speedster. Reeves' involvement in the new movie is just another step up for the franchise, which expanded its original cast by adding Idris Elba and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Knuckles and Tails, respectively, in the second installment.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3is preparing to delve deeper into the world of Sega’s mascot, and, as teased at the end of the last movie, will see Shadow the Hedgehog playing a pivotal role. Fans of the franchise have been more than happy with the arrival of Knuckles inSonic the Hedgehog 2– so much so thathe is getting his own spin-off TV show– and the casting of Reeves in the role of Shadow is only going to increase the hype around the arrival of another game icon.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the sequel to the 2022 comedy-adventure movie that featured the Blue Blur and his companions on an adventure to stop Dr. Robotnik from taking over the world. The new film sees the new antagonist Shadow the Hedgehog, arriving to cause trouble for the newly formed trio of heroes, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, as they adjust to their earthly lives.
The success of the Sonic films can be attributed to the faithful adaptation of the classic game characters into a combined real-world/game-world hybrid setting. The original discourse of the design of Sonic prior to the release of his first movie –the unforgettable “ugly Sonic” debacle– proved to be enough to ensure that subsequent character designs have not attempted to stray from the game versions in any way. This seems to be the case with Shadow, who appeared very briefly in the post-credits scene ofSonic 2, and along with theincreasingly game-accurate look of Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik,Sonic the Hedgehog 3is shaping up to be the biggest and best Sonic movie to date.
The Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise is Riding a Wave of Popular Video Game Adaptations
In many ways, the success ofSonic the Hedgehogin 2020 really kicked off the flood of popular and profitable video game adaptations that have been released in the last four years.From The Super Mario Bros. Movie, throughThe Last of Usto thenewly releasedFalloutTV series on Prime Video, after years of being unable to make a good video game adaptation, Hollywood seems to be incapable of making a bad one.
For the Sonic franchise, this has led to not only the expected movie sequels but the upcomingKnucklesTV series, which recently revealed its first-look footage. Proving that the franchise’s popularity is not being confined to the big screen, the trailer smashed Paramount+ records with over 4.3 million views in its first 24 hours. The series will act as a bridge between the second and third Sonic movies, and will drop all six episodes on Paramount+ on April 26. You can check out the trailer for yourself below.
From the attention being bestowed upon the trailer, there is little doubt thatKnuckleswill become one of Paramount+’s biggest original productions, and combined with the sure-fire Christmas hit thatSonic the Hedgehog 3will bring this December, the franchise looks set to speed on for some time to come.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3will be released in cinemas on July 19, 2025.
Sonic the Hedgehog Characters We Want to See in Future Movies
The Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise only just began. From Shadow the Hedgehog to Metal Sonic, here are 9 characters we want to see in future movies.
