Will There Be a Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Published: 13 Apr 2022 9:47 PM +00:00 Updated: 13 Apr 2022 9:47 PM +00:00

Now that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has dashed into theaters, it's time to look at how the sequel hints at a third movie...

Like its 2020 predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has made a quick impression at the box office, so it comes as no surprise that a third installment has already been greenlit. But what will Sonic the Hedgehog 3 be about?

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brings Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) into the fold, who was introduced in a mid-credits scene in the original film. Tails, as you probably know, has long been associated with Sonic (Ben Schwartz).

He first appeared in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), and has since been synonomous with the "Blue Blur", serving as his sidekick. Even their signature red bi-plane, the Tornado, appears in the latest movie.

The second major video game character to make an appearance in the sequel is Knuckles (Idris Elba), a red echidna who had his franchise debut in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994).

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 certainly takes inspiration from that game, with Knuckles being manipulated by Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik, in an attempt to take down Sonic and locate a powerful gemstone known as the Master Emerald.

But during the third act, Knuckles becomes wise to Robotnik's scheme, and consequently teams up with both Sonic and Tails in an effort to take down the evil scientist. This marks the beginning of "Sonic Heroes" on the silver screen.

Sonic Heroes (2003) is one of many Sonic-themed games in which a number of characters must collect the seven Chaos Emeralds (in the movie, these are all hidden inside the single Master Emerald).

The team which includes Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles is known as "Team Sonic" or "Team Heroes", one of four teams in the games. The others are "Team Dark," "Team Rose", and "Team Chaotix".

Among these teams are a number of other Sonic characters who will likely show up in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. While she isn't even remotely teased in the latest sequel, one of the more obvious choices is Amy Rose.

Like Sonic, Amy Rose is an anthropomorphic hedgehog, and has appeared across Sonic the Hedgehog media over the decades, having first appeared in the video game Sonic CD (1993).

Another fellow Sonic the Hedgehog character is Shadow the Hedgehog, who first appeared in the video game Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). Like Knuckles, Shadow is something of an anti-hero.

In the new movie, he appears in a mid-credits scene, in which it is revealed that the government has a secret program which it refers to as "Project Shadow". Before the scene ends, we cut to the character, whose eyes open ominously.

So it's fair to say that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will introduce Shadow the Hedgehog into the fold, and perhaps even Amy Rose, who has often served as a love interest to Sonic.

But what will Sonic the Hedgehog 3 be about? Well, during Sonic the Hedgehog 2's third act, we see that Sonic gets a major upgrade, when he wields the power of the Chaos Emeralds to become "Super Sonic".

While he returns the emeralds to Knuckles, we don't think this is the last we'll be seeing of his super-powered yellow alias. In fact, his new powers will likely be called upon to defeat Dr. Robotnik for a third time.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles manage to destroy Robotnik's towering robot, but the mid-credits scene reveals that the evil scientist's body is nowhere to be found, suggesting that he is still at large.

With that said, Jim Carrey recently announced that he is considering retiring from acting, which many believe is as a result of comments he made about the Will Smith/Chris Rock controversy at this year's Oscars.

However, producers Neal H Mortiz and Toby Ascher confirmed that Carrey's role as Dr Robotnik would not be recast if he retires before Sonic the Hedgehog 3 goes into production.

But even if this does turn out to be the case, we doubt that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be put into cold storage as a result. So far, both movies have collected nearly $500 million gold coins - er, we mean dollars - worldwide.

It also won't change the fact that Sega or America and Paramount Pictures are moving ahead with a Knuckles spin-off series, with Idris Elba reprising his role as the fan-favorite echidna.

There is currently no word on a release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. But we do know that the untitled Knuckles series will be heading straight for the streaming service Paramount+.

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