Sonic 3 First Look Teases Shadow The Hedgehog, Reveals Release Date

Video game adaptations are all the rage. Together with anime, video games are the new gold rush for adaptations. Gone are the days when they were considered an instant failure; whether it's "Arcane," "Castlevania" or "The Last of Us," adaptations of video games are garnering critical acclaim and high viewership. On the film front, the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies and the recent "Super Mario Bros. Movie" showed video game adaptations could also make money. Like, a lot of it.

Adapted from the iconic Sega video games of the same name, "Sonic the Hedgehog" focuses on the titular Sonic (Ben Schwartz) as he teams up with a small-town human sheriff (James Marsden) for a fun road trip that ends in a confrontation with the diabolical scientist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). The second "Sonic" film expands the world by introducing other anthropomorphic animals with powers, specifically Miles "Tails" Prower (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba).

The credits scene for "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" also features a high-ranking FBI agent mentioning a secret government research venture known as Project Shadow. We're then offered a quick glimpse at Shadow the Hedgehog, another super-powered hedgehog like Sonic (albeit one that's black and red). It was an exciting tease for fans of the original games and now we're seeing that tease pay off, with the official "Sonic the Hedgehog" Twitter/X account confirming the release date for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," along with a new look at Shadow.

Off and RUNNING. #SonicMovie3
Only in theatres December 20, 2024 pic.twitter.com/BUIlurNIC0

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) November 29, 2023

The inclusion of Shadow seems to indicate that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" will adapt the plot of "Sonic Adventure 2." In that game, we learn that Shadow was created in a lab on a space station by accident, as part of a secret project spearheaded by Dr. Eggman's grandfather in order to save his young cousin Maria.

Of course, things go wrong. Eventually, the government shuts down the lab and the space station, with a soldier shooting the little girl in front of Shadow. This drives Eggman's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, to vow to eradicate humankind. He doesn't, however, and ends up being executed instead. You know, just like any other children's game!

Given Shadow is already imprisoned in a government facility, we could see all of this play out in a flashback in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." The main story could involve — like in the game — Shadow wanting to create a cannon to take over the world to avenge Maria. Granted, there's the humor of these movies, which doesn't exactly scream "child executed by the government." We can certainly expect plenty of zany scenarios for Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails in the threequel. Also, since the second film treated him like an angsty teen, perhaps the next one will see Sonic act like a college student on a bender. That might be fun.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" will sprint into theaters on December 20, 2024.