Sonic, and especially Shadow, fans should consider bringing some tissues and moral support to see Sonic the Hedgehog 3. There’s sure to be plenty of laughs and epic moments in the upcoming family film based off of the Sonic game franchise, with fan favorite characters like Idris Elba’s Knuckles, Collen O’Shaughnessy’s Tales, and of course, Ben Schwartz’s leading hedgehog, Sonic, all returning for the third film. The adaptation’s release date, December 20, grows closer every minute and fans are dying to know more about the hints given to Keanu Reeves‘ character Shadow’s darkly tragic backstory glimpsed in the trailer.
Director Jeff Fowler recently told EW about the care and effort he and the production team at Paramount Pictures put into bringing the dark and scorned Shadow the Hedgehog’s backstory to the big screen for the first time. While Sonic fans already know this, newcomers may not be aware that there is an emotional core to Shadow’s journey as a character that can be seen in the game Sonic Adventure 2. To avoid spoilers, let’s just say that Shadow goes through some dark times that involve Gerald Robotnik, who is Jim Carrey’s Robotnik’s grandfather (also played by Carrey in film), and his granddaughter Maria, who is played by Alyla Browne.
On top of translating the sad and shocking events of Shadow’s story, the filmmaker also had to handle the portrayal of his motorcycle and guns that aren’t too alarming in the games, but if done without thought, would not go over well in the all-ages movie. Fowler explained how he took on re-contextualizing Shadow’s plot and accessories in the leap from the games to the movie.
“We certainly are very respectful about what fans expect to see and what they love about the character. We’re also very aware of the times and the right way to handle that kind of imagery in a family film. I think we really ended in a great place. I think fans will watch this film and really appreciate Shadow and Maria. A lot of care and a lot of love has gone into telling Shadow’s story and giving fans the best movie version of the character imaginable.”
‘Sonic 3’ Includes a Character Fans Never Thought They’d See in Live-Action
Jim Carrey’s new character, Dr. Gerald, will no doubt show off the versatile and talented actor’s skills as he switches between playing the grandfather and his grandson, and Shadow’s presence could add even more depth to the evil scientist from the first two films. Shadow’s story is tightly woven with that of the white-mustached Dr. Gerald, who fans have never seen as a full-fledged character in the games before, leaving fans eager to see if Fowler can do both this character and the edgy hedgehog justice.
Related
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to Introduce New Character Teasing Fourth Film
The upcoming sequel will keep up the tradition of teasing a new character.
“That’s the challenge of these films. It’s always to take what has come before in terms of the video games and the comics and all that. How do we take the essence of what the fans love and merge it with this movie treatment that we created?”
So, fans can rest assured that Fowler has taken their feelings into account with his portrayal of the unlikely pair, and their mutual acquaintance Maria, which will come to theaters on December 20.
- Release Date
- December 20, 2024
- Writers
- Pat Casey , Josh Miller , John Whittington
- Studio
- Studio(s)
- Sega Sammy Group , Original Film , Marza Animation Planet , Blur Studio
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures