In a world where video games movies often fail to impress critically and/or commercially, 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog managed to succeed on both fronts, so naturally Paramount Pictures greenlit a sequel. We’re still a little under two months away from the epically-scaled Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hitting theaters, but along with the TV spot that dropped during the Super Bowl, some good news has arrived for fans of this film series based on the Sega franchise. Not only is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 moving forward, but Idris Elba’s Knuckles is getting his own TV series.
As shared by Deadline, Paramount Pictures and Sega Corporation have already started development on a third Sonic the Hedgehog movie, though there’s no timetable yet on when the threequel will arrive. As for Knuckles, following Idris Elba’s debut as the character in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it’s been revealed that the actor will reprise Knuckles for a live-action Paramount+ series that launches in 2023.
So what was once simply the Sonic the Hedgehog film series has morphed into an expanded universe thanks to this Knuckles series for Paramount+. While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will obviously follow the events of its predecessor, it’s unclear if Knuckles’ series will be set after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or be a prequel that follows the character’s exploits prior to him striking an alliance with Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik. Either way, if you’re wanting to keep up with all things Sonic the Hedgehog on the live-action front, it’ll be necessary to acquire a Paramount+ subscription.
Sonic the Hedgehog was fortunate enough to open in the middle of February 2020, mere weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic started shutting down movie theaters. As such, with its $319.7 million worldwide haul, it became the highest-grossing video game movie of all time domestically and second highest-grossing globally, trailing only behind Detective Pikachu. With two more Sonic the Hedgehog movies and a live-action TV spinoff all on the way, clearly Paramount is invested in this becoming one of its major franchises alongside Mission: Impossible and Transformers, among others.
As far as what Sonic the Hedgehog 2 holds in store, the sequel will see Ben Schwartz’s version of the super-speedy mammal staying home in Green Hills, Montana while James Marsden’s Tom Wachowski and Tika Sumpter’s Maddie Wachowski go on vacation. However, Sonic’s staycation ends up being interrupted when Dr. Robtonik returns from the mushroom planet with Knuckles in tow. The duo seek the Master Emerald to conquer the world, and Sonic will need to team up with Tails (who’s being reprised by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) to find the powerful jewel before their adversaries. Jeff Fowler sat in the director’s chair for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Pat Casey and Josh Miller returned to write the sequel’s script with Josh Whittington.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 races into theaters on April 8 as one of the many upcoming movies to look forward to later this year. Keep your eyes locked on CinemaBlend for updates on how Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Paramount+’s Knuckles series are coming along.
