Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off ‘Knuckles’ cast and release window on Paramount Plus

While The Super Mario Bros. Movie may be giving SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog a run for its money when it comes to successful big-screen video game adaptations, the blue blur beat the plumber to the punch and has a more solidified franchise and media presence for the time being. 

With two big screen films knocked out of the park, all eyes are now turned to the confirmed Knuckles spin-off series, which is set to release a little later this year. Here’s everything we know about who’s going to be appearing in the spin-off – from all the familiar returning faces, to newcomers to the Sonic universe who will be making their way to the upcoming Paramount Plus series. 

Idris Elba – Knuckles

Having won pretty much everyone over with his initial appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Idris Elba will be back with a vengeance, using his sultry and smooth voice to bring life to the titular red echidna. Per the series description on IMDb, Elba’s Knuckles will be mentoring our next returning cast member in the ways of the echidna warrior. 

Adam Pally – Wade Whipple

Marking his third appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Adam Pally will be returning as Wade Whipple as the often-clueless deputy sheriff we’ve all come to know over the past two films. Forming what sounds like the second half of a buddy-cop duo, Knuckles is going to be taking Wade under his wing over the course of the series.

Remaining cast and release window

Tika Sumpter is set to reprise her role as Maddie from the original two films, and other confirmed cast members (via Variety) include Edi Patterson, Julian Barratt, Scott Mescudi, Ellie Taylor and Rory McCann, the last of which will be appearing in a guest capacity. 

As for when Knuckles is scheduled to release, Paramount is yet to set a concrete date, although production on the series has now gotten underway. Knuckles will reportedly be bridging the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the upcoming threequel, slated for release in Dec. 2024. With that in mind, is fairly safe to presume we’ll be getting the series at some point before Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Late 2023 is an optimistic estimate, but perhaps early to mid-2024 is a more realistic timeframe.