Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Finally, the fans of Sega, and especially Sonic, can rejoice as the trailer for the third instalment of the live-action Sonic franchise is finally released on 28th August 2024. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer confirms that this time, the blue speedster will face someone who holds the same power as him, but unlike him, he is basically on the wrong side. This particular character primarily goes by the name of Shadow The Hedgehog, a black anthropomorphic hedgehog who is one of the most popular characters in Sonic games.
The character introduced in the mid-credit scene of the second instalment is finally about to lock horns against the supersonic blue anthropomorphic in the film, as has already been seen in the 2-minute 57 seconds of the trailer of this movie that was released on 27th August. In many ways, he is basically like, what if Sonic went on the dark path? Anti-Sonic in simple words. Jeff Fowler is helming on the chair of director (After directing the first two parts successfully). Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is slated to release on 20 December 2024.
The development of the third instalment.
The confirmation that our favourite blue boy is getting his third part was confirmed in February 2022 during the investors meeting of ViacomCBS (the company that primarily holds the rights to the live-action version of Sonic).The success of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 further made Sonic the Hedgehog 3 possible as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grossed 405 million on a budget of 90 million.
The filming of the third instalment started in late July 2023, but only with the scenes that featured animated characters instead of any physical actors (At that time, the strike was going from the Actor Union of Hollywood due to various disputes related to pay and work hours) in England. The principal photography, meanwhile, started on August 31, 2023. The production of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 with physical actors commenced on November 29 2023. In that very same month, the official X ID of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film teased Shadow the Hedgehog through a post.
Off and RUNNING. #SonicMovie3
Only in theatres December 20, 2024 pic.twitter.com/BUIlurNIC0
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) November 29, 2023Sonic the Hedgehog 3 officially wrapped on March 14 2024, which was confirmed by James Marsden (Who played the main supporting character in this film, Tom Wachowski. The adoptive father of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles).
The journey was not splendid.
However, five years ago when, the trailer of the first instalment of Sonic the Hedgehog was released. Forget about Sonic the Hedgehog 3; it looked like this film was destined to be burned and crash in the first part as the people on the internet violently criticised the look of the CGI design of the blue boy hedgehog. The makers intended to want Sonic to have human characteristics in his design.
Still, some good innovative ideas like this must be executed properly, and the makers brutally failed in this aspect. Due to the poor execution of the CGI, it looked like something some average kids see in their dreams after playing the Sonic.Exe game (The one on the Hall of Fame of Creepypasta beside Slenderman and others). The criticism came from the fans, internet users, and the co-creator of Sonic Yuji Naka, who was repeatedly displeased about the look, calling it an insult to the character.
This time, however, Paramount actively listened to the fans, which was seen when they postponed Sonic’s release date from November 2019 to February 2020. This thing paid off, and some fixing on the design not only helped them to get appreciation from fans but also the first part made unexpected good marks at the box office (As it became the highest-grossing film from any game genre) and resulted in seeing two sequels titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 with a spinoff miniseries that focuses on the character Knuckles that being streaming on Paramount+.
The ensemble cast members.
Ben Schwartz is once again returning to voice the iconic blue speedster in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, so are Colleen O’Shaughnessey and the famous British actor Idris Elba returning to provide the voice for Tails and Knuckles, respectively.
However, there was an assumption that the arch nemesis of Sonic, Doctor Ivo Robotnik (Alias Eggman, but this moniker is yet to be embraced by him in the live-action series; this identity is mainly popular in the game version ), would be in the film or not as there were rumours that the character will be killed off-screen between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
The main reason is Jim Carrey (The man who is famous for the worldwide audience due to playing the titular role in The Mask film and also essaying the lead role in several other timeless classic comedy films which are still being enjoyed by people when they air on television like Dumb & Dumber, Liar Liar, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective ) who played the role of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, in 2022, stated in an interview that he was possibly opting for retirement from his acting career.
You all thought I was gone, but I’ve just been underground. What you’ve seen from me is only a #shadow of things to come… pic.twitter.com/3W9Rh728Tt
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) February 2, 2024The return of Jim Carrey was first teased this year in early February when the film’s official X id posted a video that included the famous cackle of Doctor Robotnik. The confirmation that he is joining the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was finally made in late February; this time, he plays a double role in the film. Besides playing Doctor Ivo Robotnik, Jim Carrey is also playing the role of his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, and just like the game, Doctor Gerald Robotnik might be the creator of Shadow as in the games he created the black anthropomorphic by the features of genetic engineering.
Besides that, other actors like James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Lee Majdoub, etc, are reprising their roles from the first two instalments. However, in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, besides the old cast members, two new actors have joined the cast list, and both are very much known to the people who are fond of the entertainment content.
One is Krysten Ritter, who is known among the audience for playing Jane Margolis in Breaking Bad, show however she is more recognisable due to playing the titular Marvel character Jessica Jones on Netflix for two seasons she is essaying the role of Director Rockwell, who is on the charge of the Guardian Units of Nations. But perhaps in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the next edition of the new cast member created an unexpected storm among fans. It was probably the most significant casting announcement this year besides Tony Stark becoming Doctor Doom!
Keanu Reeves is the man who became immortal to fans for his role as Neo in the Matrix anthology and for playing John Wick in the anthology of the same name. He is also the most-liked celebrity due to his down-to-earth, wholesome nature. He is joining the film as the official voice actor of Shadow the Hedgehog, the archenemies of our blue speedster.
The Marketing
Perhaps for a film, the soul always remains in marketing. An example can be the marketing of the second instalment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight; not only was the film successful in critical and commercial fields, but also the marketing still being remembered by the fans due to the innovative tactics which being used by Warner Brothers (They recreated the vibe atmosphere of a fictional Gotham City on New York by arranging rallies creating posters newspaper putting the Joker card on various bookstores etc ).
The marketing of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is not on par with the Why So Serious campaign (The official name of the Dark Knight campaign), but still, it is effective compared to marketing gimmicks pulled out by big-budget films.
The marketing of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 commenced on CinemaCon when Paramount (The primary producers of this film) showed the first look footage of the film that showed Doctor Robotnik blaming his current fate before his assistant Agent Stone provided information that they had found something with the next scene showing Sonic Tails and Knuckles fighting Shadow who is shown to be completely silent.
From late July, the promotion started to occur on a full scale as various large projections of Sonic Shadow and Robotnik icons began to display in different locations throughout the world, which directly made the way for the first trailer of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to get up a grand debut. Various top buildings in cities like Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, etc., are seen with large projections. This created massive excitement among the fans, as fans on social media sites like X were demanding the release of the trailer as soon as possible.
Finally, after exciting the fans with various innovative things like this, the trailer made its way on August 27.
The summary of the trailer.
At the beginning of the trailer of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, for a few seconds, the footage of the previous instalment was being played, highlighting the heroic deeds of Sonic, followed by a scene where Tom Wachowski (Played by James Marsden and also the adoptive father of Sonic and his team consist of Tails and Knuckles) applauds the blue hedgehog that he has not changed what he is which Sonic’s replies it with a sarcastic dialogue.
In the next scene, in a military base, someone who looks like it might be Sonic is trapped, which cuts to a dialogue of a US Army general saying that a security breach has been spotted. Then, the close-up shot reveals Shadow the Hedgehog with a voiceover describing it as Project Shadow.
Then, a glimpse of the black hedgehog was seen, followed by him breaking the glass of what looked like a government facility. The voiceover of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer then says that (Which implies it is someone from the US military) they require immediate assistance as this project is far beyond anything. Then, in some scenes, we see the familiar trio on the screen, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, running at super speed to something.
The voiceover of the trailer then confirms that Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic both share a similar journey; however, unlike Sonic, Shadow never gets the care and assistance of any family, but instead, he receives pain (Which implies that he might be tortured by the US government the reason due to the government wanted to harness his power). Then the most exciting scenes of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer come forward, where Sonic and his friends engage in a brutal fight with Shadow in Central City ( The fictional city which is home of Sonic ), with Shadow gaining the upper hand in the battle as it ends with both of them getting crashed on the middle of the city.
Then, in the next scene of the trailer of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, one of the fan-favourite characters makes his way, which is none other than Doctor Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, who seems to have been on some similar phase as what Thor Odinson has gone at the beginning of the five-year time jump in Avengers Endgame (Depressed, grew weight and hair).
Sonic Knuckles and Tails approached him, implying that to defeat this new black hedgehog menace, Sonic is teaming up with this former arch-nemesis, and it seems they will be as Doctor Robotnik in the next scene cuts his hair and puts out his classic costume, confirming he is back on his regular game. This certainly also shows how brutal Shadow the Hedgehog would be, and Sonic now needs to team up with someone who, literally, in the previous two instalments, tried to kill him, possibly indicating that Shadow is the strongest villain in this franchise. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, in this process of this element, has already seemed to set a high bar.
Some rumours about this film
Sonic the Hedgehog 3, meanwhile, has already been filled with various rumours, which have been backed up by prominent scoopers like DanielRPK, who have an excellent track record of accuracy. One of the prominent rumours in the film is that, finally, this film can make the first live-action appearance of Amy Rose. Amy Rose is a pink-coloured hedgehog and Sonic’s girlfriend in the games.
It is rumoured that she might appear in the post-credit scene, as voiced by Jenny Slate. Another popular rumour is that Robotnik, who seems to form an alliance with the blue hedgehog in the trailer, will not keep the partnership for an extended amount of time as he will still be bitter about this previous encounter with him and possibly in the late half of the film he will betray him and perhaps join with Shadow.
Meanwhile, in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, there is also speculation that Metal Sonic might make an appearance (Metal Sonic is one of the most popular antagonists in the Sonic game series, which has been created by Doctor Robotnik and serves as the second command of the Eggman empire that he has made. He is basically Sonic, but he is being created by blue metals, and instead of how friendly and heroic the character Sonic is, he is a mindless killing machine). Doctor Robotnik will make this version as an answer to Shadow in the film, as per the rumour.
Meanwhile, a popular fan-favourite terrorist organisation that has appeared multiple times in Sonic games and is being considered beside Doctor Robotnik as one of Sonic’s greatest foes has also been rumoured to appear in the film.
The organisation, which is primarily known by its name, Black Arms, is rumoured to make an appearance in the movie as they will be revealed as the prime people who secretly have a hand in the creation of Shadow (They might have infiltrated the US government in Sonic universe just like how Hydra unsuccessfully tried to do in the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier) if rumours are correct, then they will serve as the next big bad of the cinematic universe which is based on Sonic and his related characters.
Another popular rumour that has been seen for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is that Agent Stone, the goofy sidekick of Doctor Robotnik, will locate Badnik (One of the most critical technologies of Doctor Robotnik in the games which have been mentioned in the films that it is hidden somewhere on Earth).
He tries to experiment with it, which will transform him into Infinite at the end (He is a newly introduced villain on the rogue galleries of Sonic who got his debut in the 2017 game of Sonic titled Sonic Forces, and he is a hugely popular figure on the rogue galleries of Sonic with many states that if Sonic is Batman, then he is Joker) serving as the next bad for the fourth instalment of Sonic.
FAQ
What is the release date of Sonic 3?
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is slated to release on 20 December 2024
What is the duration of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer?
The duration of the trailer is 2 minutes 57 seconds
Who is the director of Sonic 3?
Jeff Fowler is helming on the chair of director (After directing the first two parts successfully).
What was the box office collection of Sonic the Hedgehog 2?
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grossed 405 million on a budget of 90 million.
When did Sonic 3 wrapped up filming?
Sonic 3 officially wrapped on March 14 2024.
Who is the voice actor of Sonic in Sonic 3?
Ben Schwartz is again returning to voice the iconic blue speedster in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Is Jim Carrey returning in Sonic 3?
He plays a double role in the film. Besides playing Doctor Ivo Robotnik, Jim Carrey is also playing the role of his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik.
Which role is Krysten Ritter playing on Sonic 3?
She is essaying the role of Director Rockwell, who is in charge of the Guardian Units of Nations.
Who is voicing Shadow in Sonic 3?
Keanu Reeves had joined the film as the official voice actor of Shadow the Hedgehog.
Which character James Marsden is playing in Sonic 3?
He played the main supporting character in this film, Tom Wachowski. The adoptive father of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles.
Where is Knuckles streaming?
A spinoff miniseries that focuses on the character Knuckles that is being streamed on Paramount+.
Will Amy Rose appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?
It is rumoured that she might appear in the post-credit scene, as voiced by Jenny Slate.
Will Metal Sonic will appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?
Doctor Robotnik will make Metal Sonic as an answer to Shadow in the film, as per the rumour.
Will Infinite appear in Sonic 3?
Another popular rumour that has been seen for the film is that Agent Stone, the goofy sidekick of Doctor Robotnik, will locate Badnik and try to experiment with it, transforming him into Infinite at the end.
