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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film)

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Logo
Directed byJeff Fowler
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Pat Casey
  • Josh Miller
Based onSonic the Hedgehog
by Sega[a]
Produced by
Starring
Music byTom Holkenborg
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • December 20, 2024 (2024-12-20)
Countries
  • United States
  • Japan
LanguageEnglish

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an upcoming action adventure comedy film based on the video game series published by Sega, and the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). It is directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Lee Majdoub, Idris Elba, and Jim Carrey reprise their roles, with Keanu Reeves joining the cast.

Plans for a third Sonic the Hedgehog film were announced in February 2022 during ViacomCBS's investor event before the release of the second film. Due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, filming for animated characters began in July 2023 in Surrey, England, while filming with physical actors began in November of that year in London, with production concluding by March 2024. The film draws inspiration from the video game Sonic Adventure 2 (2001).

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is scheduled to be theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 20, 2024.

Cast

Main article: List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters

Voice cast

Live-action cast

Additionally, Krysten Ritter, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, James Wolk, and Jorma Taccone were cast in undisclosed roles.[3]

Production

Development

In March 2020, James Marsden confirmed that he had signed on for multiple sequels to the original film.[6] In February 2022, Sega Sammy Group and Paramount Pictures had been developing a third Sonic the Hedgehog film after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). The film was formally announced during ViacomCBS's investor event.[7] Jeff Fowler returned as director, and Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno returned as producers.[8] Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington returned to write the screenplay, with the former two also being credited for the story, while Paul Greenberg and Oren Uziel received off-screen additional literary material credit.[9] In addition, a spin-off television series for Paramount+, Knuckles, was developed simultaneously with the film.[7] The film will draw inspiration from the video game Sonic Adventure 2 (2001).[10]

In April 2022, Jim Carrey–who portrays Dr. Robotnik in the films–announced that he was considering retiring from acting.[11] With his possible retirement, Moritz and Ascher confirmed that his role as Robotnik would not be recast in any sequels if he followed through with his retirement plans. However, they remained hopeful that they could develop scripts good enough for him to continue the role.[12]

Filming

Second-unit filming began in late July 2023 for animated characters only without physical actors (due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike) in Farnham, Surrey, England.[13] Principal photography was originally scheduled to begin on August 31, 2023, in London, England,[14][15] but was delayed to September of that year.[16] Production with physical actors started on November 29, 2023, and was announced with a teaser image of Shadow the Hedgehog's stand-in statue used in filming.[17]

Keanu Reeves joined the film as the voice of Shadow; he was widely fancast in the role after the character's cameo in the prior film.[18][19]

In February 2024, Carrey was officially confirmed to be reprising his role in the film,[8] along with Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Lee Majdoub, and Tom Butler.[3] Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, and Jorma Taccone were cast in undisclosed roles;[3] Taccone was previously hired as an episode director for the Knuckles series.[20] On February 16, Browne's role was revealed as Maria.[5] Schwartz began recording for the film by the week after.[21]

Marsden said that filming had been completed by March 14, 2024,[22] while Fowler officially revealed that the film had wrapped production on March 29.[23] On April 15, 2024, it was reported that Keanu Reeves had joined the cast as the voice of Shadow.[4]

Animation

As a cost-cutting measure, the producers had an in-house animation team at Paramount work on both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the Knuckles series.[24]

Music

Tom Holkenborg, who composed the score for the first two Sonic films, returned to score Sonic the Hedgehog 3[25] and had finished work by July 2024.[26] In December 2023, Crush 40 vocalist Johnny Gioeli said there had been talks of including the song "Live & Learn" from Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) in the film.[27] In February 2024, Gioeli confirmed "Live & Learn" would be included in the film.[28]

Release

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures on December 20, 2024, taking over the original release date of The Smurfs Movie (2025).[29]

Marketing

In April 2024 at CinemaCon, Paramount showcased first-look footage of the film, which featured a heavier Robotnik bemoaning his current state before his assistant Agent Stone informs that "they found him", and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles fighting a silent Shadow.[30]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team, published by Sega, directed and programmed by Yuji Naka, designed by Hirokazu Yasuhara, and illustrated by Naoto Ohshima.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ Ocbazghi, Emmanuel; Snyder, Chris (February 13, 2020). "The bizarre evolution of Sonic the Hedgehog". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Power, Ed (February 16, 2020). "How Sega conquered the video games industry – and then threw it all away". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bankhurst, Adam (February 2, 2024). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Adds Krysten Ritter, Cristo Fernández, Alyla Browne, and More". IGN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (April 15, 2024). "Keanu Reeves Joins 'Sonic 3' as Shadow". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Perine, Aaron (February 16, 2024). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Star Confirms Casting As Fan-Favorite Character". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Perine, Aaron (March 6, 2020). "Sonic the Hedgehog Star James Marsden Confirms He's Signed on for Multiple Sequels". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (February 15, 2022). "Sonic The Hedgehog Universe Continues To Grow As Sega And Paramount Sign Off On Third Film As Well As A Knuckles Spin-Off Series In The Works At Paramount+ With Idris Elba Reprising Role". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Lang, Brent (February 2, 2024). "Jim Carrey Returning for 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  10. ^ Russell, Bradley (April 22, 2024). "Sonic 3 producer says it's going to be a "giant, fun, incredible movie" that "takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Sharf, Zack (April 1, 2022). "Jim Carrey 'Fairly Serious' About Retiring From Acting: 'I Have Enough. I've Done Enough'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  12. ^ Dick, Jeremy (April 7, 2022). "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Producers Believe Jim Carrey Would Return for Part 3". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Williams, Sophie (July 30, 2023). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Begins Filming in Surrey with Leaked Set Images". Maxblizz. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Paz, Maggie Dela (June 20, 2023). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Production Start Date Revealed for Ben Schwartz-Led Movie". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  15. ^ McCall, Kevin (June 20, 2023). "'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Sets Summer Filming Date in London". Collider. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  16. ^ Tabbara, Mona (August 8, 2023). "UK crews in crisis as SAG-AFTRA strike thwarts production: "Is the UK industry really our own?"". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  17. ^ Tinoco, Armando (November 29, 2023). "'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' Teases First Look At Shadow". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Fenlon, Wes (April 15, 2024). "Keanu Reeves is Shadow the Hedgehog in the third Sonic movie, fulfilling fan casting dreams". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Kristian McCoy, Joshua (April 16, 2024). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Keanu Reeves is the Perfect Choice for Shadow". Game Rant. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  20. ^ Otterson, Joe (April 17, 2023). "'Sonic the Hedgehog' Spinoff Series 'Knuckles' at Paramount+ Sets Cast, Including Adam Pally, Tika Sumpter". Variety. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  21. ^ Garside, Megan (February 21, 2024). "Sonic star Ben Schwartz gives promising update on the upcoming third movie". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  22. ^ Graham-Lowery, Nathan (March 14, 2024). "Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Wrapped Filming, Confirmed By James Marsden". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Echebiri, Makuochi (March 29, 2024). "'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Races to the End of Filming". Collider. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  24. ^ Gaur, Ryan (April 24, 2024). "The Creative Forces Behind 'Knuckles' Give Us the Scoop on the Paramount+ Series". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "Tom Holkenborg to Return for Jeff Fowler's 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3'". Film Music Reporter. January 31, 2024. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  26. ^ McPherson, Chris (July 14, 2024). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Gets Exciting Update From Composer Junkie XL". Collider. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  27. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (December 16, 2023). "Crush 40 Says Live & Learn Could Appear In Sonic 3". TheGamer. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  28. ^ Grayson, Nathan (February 6, 2024). ""Live And Learn," The Anthem Of A Generation, Will Be In The Next Sonic Movie – Aftermath". aftermath.site. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  29. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 9, 2022). "Paramount Sets Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Release, Pushes Date For Smurfs Animated Musical". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  30. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (April 11, 2024). "First Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Footage at CinemaCon Revealed Shadow and a Down-on-His-Luck Robotnik". IGN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
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