Is James Marsden in Paramount’s ‘Knuckles’ series?

The Sonic series is about to become that most coveted of Hollywood franchises: The shared universe. Following on from the success of 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog (one of the few films that survived that year in tact) and 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the Sonic-verse is expanding onto the small screen for streaming spinoff series, Knuckles. No prizes (or golden rings) for guessing which of the Blue Blur’s crew the show focuses on.

Yup, Knuckles the Echidna has always been one of the most popular characters in the Sonic multimedia universe so it’s no surprise Paramount has decided to give him his own show, following his live action CGI introduction in the sequel. The best thing is that the series’ first-look trailer revealed that this “six-episode event” is basically a third Sonic movie in of itself (on top of the actual Sonic 3 that’s in the works). Idris Elba is reprising his role as Knuckles, with Ben Schwartz back as the hedgehog himself.

Still, there’s one familiar face missing from the trailer who’s conspicuous by their absence…

Will James Marsden be back as Tom in Knuckles?

The Knuckles trailer makes clear that so many cast-members from the Sonic movies will return for the Paramount Plus spinoff, with Colleen O’Shaughnessey back as Tails and Tika Sumpter reprising Maddie Wachowski. But where’s her husband, Tom, as played by James Marsden?

As you might be able to guess from his vanishing act in the trailer, Marsden will not be back as Tom in Knuckles. This looks to create a bit of an awkward absence as some of the plot appears to be set at the Wachowski’s house, so Tom being a no-show will likely be keenly felt. But, hey, we can hardly blame Marsden for being unable to squeeze the project into his very busy schedule. Especially when he’s fresh off his Golden Globe-nominated role as, um, James Marsden in Jury Duty.

In Tom’s place, Adam Pally’s Wade Whipple looks to have been bumped up to co-lead to act as Knuckles’ own human sidekick. Likewise, even though there’s no Marsden (and, naturally, no Jim Carrey as Robotnik either), the supporting cast is full of enough fresh faces to distract us from those who aren’t returning — including Cary Elwes, Rory McCann, Stockhard Channing, and Christopher Lloyd.

But for those who think Marsden is the master, don’t worry — he is definitely back for Sonic 3, as is Carrey. You won’t have to wait long for that either, as the threequel hits theaters on Dec. 20, 2024. But, first, Knuckles punches its way onto Paramount Plus on April 26. Who’d have thunk we’d come this far in the dark old days of Ugly Sonic?