Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Paramount Plus’ Knuckles.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a surprising box office hit, which means Paramount jammed their thumb on the “cinematic universe” button as fast as they could. Hollywood’s IP expansions can often dilute quality, but Knuckles proves the Sonic cinematic universe has rich spinoff potential.
Knuckles follows the titular Echidna as he goes on a road trip to Reno, Nevada, where Wade Whipple will meet his fate and become a warrior. While the series sounds like it’s copying the first Sonic the Hedgehog structure, the spinoff takes a vastly different path. In fact, Knuckles is arguably better than both Sonic movies, as it isn’t afraid to get weird.
It’s not surprising that Knuckles is bursting with creativity and taking significant risks. Theatrical releases usually have more executive intervention, as a movie is an expensive investment that has to pay off. So, when it comes to the main chapters of the Sonic franchise, Paramount has to play it safe, lest they lose their profitable box office.
Even if spinoffs also want to capitalize on an IP success, their eventual failure is less of a concern, as they can ultimately be ignored by fans and producers alike. On the contrary, spinoff series can serve to test the waters and measure public interest. Knuckles, for instance, tells a story that supposedly bridges the gap between the second and third Sonic movies, but it’s not essential viewing. Instead, the spinoff series is determined to tell an entertaining story filled with heart and surreal sequences.
By giving the Knuckles team more creative freedom, Paramount can understand how far it can push the franchise and succeed. Plus, since the TV show is not tasked with setting up Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Knuckles can be its own thing, to be enjoyed by old and new fans in equal measure. That’s the best approach for spinoffs, as it allows each part of a cinematic universe to be independently enjoyable in place of mandatory homework for understanding a franchise. With that in mind, we hope Paramount releases more Sonic the Hedgehog spinoffs. Fortunately, many characters could already get the Knuckles treatment.
Which Sonic the Hedgehog characters could star in upcoming spinoffs?
Even if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to hit theaters in December 2024, Paramount is developing the project under absolute secrecy. We know Jim Carrey will return as Dr. Robotnik, even though the actor announced his possible retirement after Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Plus, Keanu Reeves was chosen to voice Shadow the Hedgehog, the only new character confirmed. However, the threequel’s cast includes big names such as Krysten Ritter, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, James Wolk, and Jorma Taccone. So, the Sonic cinematic universe is getting ready to add many characters that could star in their spinoffs. Still, with what we already know, Paramount already has a lot of working material.
Tails and Tika Sumpter should get their own road trip
In the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) embarks on a journey with father figure Tom Wachowski (James Marsden). The trip allows both characters to get their arcs, with Tom and Sonic becoming a family and finding purpose together. Something similar happens in Knuckles, as the Echidna and Wade help each other to discover their place in the world.
Do you know who hasn’t gotten their road trip yet? Miles “Tails” Prower (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), the flying fox from the second movie. Plus, Paramount already has the perfect travel partner for Tails, Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter). While Maddie has been a key character in the movies, she didn’t have enough screen time for us to truly know her, so partnering up with Tails for a spinoff series would serve a double purpose.
Do an Agent Stone and Dr. Robotinik Rom-Com, you cowards!
Even if Dr. Robotnik is the big baddie of the Sonic movies, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub) does a lot of heavy lifting. While Stone begins his career as an assistant, he takes over Robotnik’s enterprise after the villain vanishes in the Mushroom Planet. There’s a lot of history we don’t know about these two characters, and a spinoff focused on Dr. Robotnik and his crew would be great. The only way to improve it is to turn it into a rom-com, making the best of Agent Stone’s eye-heart energy towards his master.
Keanu Reeves’s Shadow deserves a John Wick-like spinoff
Casting Keanu Reeves as Shadow is a brilliant move. For those who do not know the Sonic games, Shadow is a gun-fu antihero who isn’t afraid to shoot his enemies dead. Yes, that’s right, Shadown is the John Wick of the Sonic universe, so why not use Reeves’s star power to carry a spinoff of his own? A Shadow spinoff can occur after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or explore the alien’s past. Either way, we hope Reeves is part of the cinematic universe moving forward.
