What a curious life the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has had; after the titular blue blur’s live-action design was redone on account of international backlash to the original, expectations still remained heavily tempered, and it looked like this would be another case of a mediocre, one-and-done video game adaptation.
And yet, the opener would go on to spawn a sequel, which in turn launched an in-development spin-off starring Knuckles the Echidna, and now this budding universe looks to be gearing up in a big way for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 later this summer.
Per Production List, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is due to begin filming on Aug. 31, although this is obviously contingent on whether or not the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) ends up striking, which is rumored to happen in the coming weeks.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to bring the fan-favorite character Shadow into the fold, which will no doubt be an enormous draw for many longtime fans of the popular video game franchise. Given the character’s wealth of appearances in the games, the exact storyline adapted by writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington could pull from any amount of source material, although it would be no great surprise if Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow’s first appearance, ends up being the most marked influence.
Either way, it looks like the sky is the limit for Sonic the Hedgehog screen adaptations, and given the original IP’s wealth of content in the form of both games and comic books, there’s no telling how many storylines will get adapted as the years go on. After all, thanks to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, game movies are in now.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to release to cinemas on Dec. 20, 2024.
