Sonic the Hedgehog 3: cast, story, trailer and release date

What is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 about?

Sonic the Hedgehog, his former enemy Knuckles, and Sonic's loyal friend Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance from Doctor Robotnik in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.

Who stars in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Ben Schwartz returns to voice Sonic and James Marsden is back as his flesh and blood pal Tom. Colleen O'Shaughnessey returns from the Sonic 2 movie as Miles 'Tails' Prower as does Knuckles voice actor Idris Elba. Series newcomers include Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island).

What Sega games inspired Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has been inspired by the Sega games Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Shadow the Hedgehog (2005). Sonic Adventure 2 was released for the Dreamcast console and mixed open-world exploration with shoot-em-up and platform elements. It presented two separate stories with which the players could engage: one in which Sonic, Tails and Knuckles try to save the world and the other in which Shadow the Hedgehog (making his console game debut), Doctor Eggman, and Rouge the Bat try to conquer it.

Shadow the Hedgehog was a Shadow-centric platform adventure, also with first-person shooting elements, in which the amnesiac Shadow attempts to learn about his past during an alien invasion. The character allowed the Sega developers to take the Sonic mythology in a slightly darker direction and the game was released for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

Is Keanu Reeves voicing Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Yes, John Wick star Keanu Reeves is voicing Shadow in the movie. This is Reeves' second major voiceover role following his turn as Duke Caboom in Pixar's Toy Story 4 (2019) and it's not his first dabble in video game mythology. He portrayed the terrorist character Johnny Silverhand in the game Cyberpunk 2077 (2020), an action role-playing game released for PlayStation 4, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One on 10 December 2020, followed by PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 15 February 2022.

Who is Shadow the Hedgehog?

Shadow was designed by noted Japanese gaming artist Takashi Iizuka. In the games, Shadow was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of the series' antagonist Doctor Eggman (aka Doctor Robotnik, Sonic's nemesis), as part of an experiment to cure his granddaughter Maria from a deadly illness. When Maria is killed Shadow vows to honour her name by keeping the world safe, although this frequently brings him into conflict with Sonic.

Shadow was designed to appeal to older gamers and he harnesses greater use of vehicles and weapons than Sonic does. Presumed dead at one stage, the amnesiac Shadow teams up with Rouge the Bat to track down Eggman and learn more about his past, although he still remembers his name and Maria's death.

Is Jim Carrey returning in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Jim Carrey returns as Ivo Robotnik and the trailer (scroll down to watch it) reveals that he's also playing Robotnik's father Gerald. Does this mean the film will stay loyal to Shadow's origins, using Maria's death as the character's main motivation? Time will tell.

When is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 released?

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is released on December 20th.

Where can we watch the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Watch the Sonic 3 trailer below.