This article is part of a directory: Sonic The Hedgehog 3: Release Date, Cast & Everything We Know

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Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Already In Development Before Sequel Releases

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Paramount Pictures confirms Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in the works nearly two months ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hitting theaters. The film franchise is based on the Sega video game franchise of the same name centered on the titular blue speedster as he and his friends combat with the maniacal Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman, as he attempts global domination. The series first kicked off in 2020 with Sonic the Hedgehog led by Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey as Sonic and Eggman alongside James Marsden, Tika Sumpter and Lee Madjoub.

Thanks to the film's success, Paramount subsequently greenlit Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with Schwartz, Carrey, Marsden, Sumpter, Madjoub, Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell all returning. The film, which sees Eggman escaping the mushroom planet and teaming with Knuckles the Echidna to find the Master Emerald, also marks the franchise introductions of Idris Elba as Knuckles and Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Miles "Tails" Prower after the latter made a cameo appearance in the first film's post-credits. While Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is still gearing up to make its way to theaters in April, the studio behind the project is looking to keep the ball rolling on the franchise.

Related: What To Expect From Sonic The Hedgehog 2

As part of a new wave of release announcements from Paramount, the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account has revealed that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is officially in the works. In addition to a theatrical threequel, the studio is currently developing a live-action Paramount+ series centered on Knuckles with Idris Elba reprising his role. See the announcement post with a statement from Sega CEO Haruki Satomi below:

Click here to see the original post

The Sonic the Hedgehog 3 news doesn't come as much of a surprise given the surprise success of the original movie adaptation. Having hit theaters just prior to the pandemic shutdowns, the film ultimately went on to set the record for the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation with over $58 million brought in, beating out previous record holder Detective Pikachu. The first Sonic the Hedgehog also became the fourth-best President's Day holiday weekend opener and Carrey's second-biggest weekend behind Bruce Almighty.

Additionally, critics proved to be generally favorable towards the original Sonic the Hedgehog while audiences proved to be pleasantly surprised by the effort. The announcement of Sonic the Hedgehog comes as anticipation continues to build for April's Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the trailers pointing towards plenty of the same fun on display in its predecessor while also diving deeper into its source material, namely the introduction of Idris Elba's Knuckles. The wait for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is nearly over as it is slated for an April 8 theatrical release.

More: Sonic 2 Is Already Teasing Metal Sonic For Robotnik's Endgame

Source: Sonic the Hedgehog/Twitter

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