The following contains SPOILERS for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, so beware of what you read from here!
The 2024 movie schedule has been filled to the brim with new releases, and one of the biggest thus far has been Sonic the Hedgehog 3. With a CinemaBlend's good Sonic 3 review and a box office that sprinted past Mufasa: The Lion King, it was only a matter of time before a fourth Sonic film was confirmed. Now, barely that long into its release, we already know when it's coming out – and Ben Schwartz told us what he wants the most out of the next film.
For those who haven’t heard the news, Variety confirmed that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is already in the works and aiming for a spring 2027 release. Prior to the confirmation of the fourth film, I knew I had to ask Ben Schwartz, the lovable voice of Sonic, what he would love to see in the fourth film and if he wanted to continue the team aspect that’s been building up for the last two movies – and his answer was a resounding “yes” with plenty of enthusiasm:
Oh my God. Yes. If you see the end of this film, it teases stuff that would be the coolest thing to bring into our franchise. And I want so badly to play with that storyline. So I am very much into it and very much want to add. And they've found ways to make sure that everybody gets to play a little bit. And I think what you're saying is exactly correct, where it's like we're making a team, so we get to play together. It's me, Sonic, if you talk with CG characters ... me, Tails, Knuckles. Do you know what I mean? As a team. One person's strength with Knuckles, the speed with Sonic, the flight and Gizmos with Tails and us learning how to work as a team.
The ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 featured the tease of a long-awaited fan-favorite – Amy Rose – who could potentially join the next Sonic film, adding one other player to the team of superpowered individuals. Schwartz continued to say that his faith in this team aspect comes from all of these other great team movies out there that build on those personality differences, whom together to become more powerful, citing from many popular Marvel movies:
I think about how many great Guardians of the Galaxy, or The Avengers, or Fantastic Four or X-Men. Like once you figure that out, you could really play things. You could really let everybody have their moment, and then together, like Voltron, come and be even more powerful.
Sonic the Hedgehog has undoubtedly been building up its team aspect more and more lately. While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 did introduce us to Shadow, the ending of the film initially seemed to taper off any chances we had of possibly seeing him again in the film franchise since he supposedly sacrificed himself to save Earth alongside Ivo Robotnik. However, we later see that Shadow survived, so he'll probably be back, right?
As for that post-credit sequence, I am curious to see what might happen if Amy Rose becomes a part of this team. Will she get the Knuckles-style spinoff that he got? Or will she get a chance to shine in Sonic the Hedgehog 4? And how is she going to help build out this excellent team aspect that Ben Schwartz wants to keep expanding on so much?
Schwartz’s excitement certainly makes me excited, and it makes me want to get her even faster in 2027. Can we skip the 2025 movie schedule and move over two years? That would be fun. Either way, there’s no denying Schwartz’s eagerness to continue this team into the next installment of Sonic, and I, for one, will be there for it — and hopefully, Amy Rose will be there too.
