Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Is Leading To Sonic 3 And A Knuckles Series
Sonic 2 is in the books, but it has paved the way for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and a Knuckles spinoff series.
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It’s easy to forget now after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has come and gone, but when Sonic the Hedgehog was released to movie audiences in 2020, it came with a few concerns. These concerns mainly circled around the design of the titular character and were so troubling that the character animators went back to the drawing board to get Sonic’s look right.
Another concern was just how fun the movie could be even though it brought in comedian Jim Carrey to play the over-the-top villain, Dr. Robotnik. It was a roll of the dice that brought in almost $320 million at the box office and a sure date with a sequel. Well, that sequel,Sonic the Hedgehog 2, was officially released on April 8, 2022, and surprisingly enough, it fared even better than the first film at the box office.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 saw the return of Jim Carrey as the “evil” Dr. Robotnik, along with other returning stars such as James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdjoub, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic. Idris Elba joined the cast as the voice of Knuckles.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 EARNED $402 MILLION AT THE BOX OFFICE AND SCORED 93% ON ROTTEN TOMATOES
Expectations were high when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released, and the film did not disappoint. Audiences loved the first film in the series as they gave it a 93% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences loved the second film, even more, awarding it a 96% favorable rating on Rotten tomatoes.
Buoyed by a $72.1 million opening weekend, the film has gone on to bring in almost $402 million at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing U.S. video game movie of all time. So, what got us to this point, and is there a future for a third movie in the series? Let’s see if we can answer those questions.
KNUCKLES IS GETTING HIS OWN SPINOFF SERIES
When the first full trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 dropped in December 2021, it came with the reveal that Idris Elba would be playing Sonic’s crimson-furred rival Knuckles. The following February brought the announcement that Paramount was already convinced Elba’s Knuckles would be a hit and was developing a live-action spin-off series for the character. There aren’t many details on the upcoming series yet, though it’s expected to stream on Paramount+ in 2023.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED
In what was a flurry of Sonic the Hedgehog 2-related news in February 2022, Paramount announced that the sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was actively in development. That was the only information revealed, however. Now, we have more information on Sonic the Hedgehog 3, starting with the official release date. The announcement came via Twitter on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie account. The official release date is December 20, 2024.
One cast member who we know is returning is the voice of Sonic, Ben Schwartz. He also took to Twitter to announce his return as the furry Blue Blur.
There’s no word on a director or writer but it is expected that Carrey will return for a third time as Dr. Robotnik. GFR has previously and exclusively reported that both Jason Momoa and Chris Pratt are being looked at for roles in the film.
With all of these big moves in the Sonic world, we can also look back at how Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came together.
SONIC FIGHTS A GIANT ROBOT IN PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
In a new promotional video for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 released in February 2022, Dr. Robotnik pulls out all the stops. Not only does he unleash Idris Elba’s Knuckles on Sonic, but we see a preview of Sonic clashing with a massive, kaiju-size robot. You can see the video below.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 IS HAPPENING
When you combine the relatively solid box office run, a solid-though-not-spectacular critical performance, and the obvious groundwork Sonic lays for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the movie of course required a sequel. Paramount officially greenlit Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and brought back Jeff Fowler to direct the follow-up. Pat Casey and Josh Miller returned to write the sequel script.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 RELEASED ON APRIL 8, 2022
Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s release date was set by Paramount for a theatrical release on April 8, 2022. The studio announced their release date in an amusing Tweet, where they also officially announced the sequel’s “groundbreaking” title.
HOW SONIC SET UP THE SEQUEL
Due to the franchise potential, the first movie definitely sets up Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in a number of ways.
Within the movie itself, the filmmakers establish that there are multiple planets out there. And on these planets are certain parties interested in getting their hands on Sonic and his massive power potential. The whole movie begins with him barely escaping a crew of rather ill-tempered echidnas who want to snatch him. When the movie ends, he’s now living in full view of the public in Green Hills, Montana, no longer hiding. Anyone looking for him will have a much easier time tracking him down.
Which brings us to the post-credits scenes. More accurately, they’re mid-credits scenes. The first catches us up with Dr. Robotnik, played with a manic fury by Jim Carrey. By this point, Sonic has bested the tech-mad lunatic and banished him to the mushroom planet. We knew he was still alive, but this gives us an idea of his circumstances.
We see Robotnik, now bald and with a giant mustache—he resembles the traditional appearance of the character from the games and cartoons, but also Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. He’s stranded, his ship in ruins, but he has the drive to escape, a plan, and one of Sonic’s quills, which he can use as a power source. He vows to be home by Christmas and we’re not ones to put it past him.
The second post-credits scene ties into the whole Sonic-being-more-easily-found thing.
In the mountains surrounding Green Hills, we see a ring portal similar to one of Sonic’s appear. A creature emerges with a tracker. Turns out to be a two-tailed fox fans will recognize as Miles “Tails” Prower, Sonic’s sidekick and ostensible BFF beginning in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Most of us assume Tails’ motivations are benevolent, especially because he indicates he hopes to enlist Sonic’s help in some matter. What that matter is, remains to be seen, but if Tails can find our favorite blue hedgehog, it stands to reason he’s not the only one.
THE SONIC 2 CAST RETURNED JAMES MARSDEN AND TIKA SUMPTER
Most obviously, Sonic returned. Wouldn’t be much of a Sonic the Hedgehog movie without Sonic the actual Hedgehog, now would it? Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) voices the blue speedster, giving him an irreverent, fast-talking personality that fits the character’s origins. He is back in the same role.
On the human side, both Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter) returned as well. At the end of the first movie, Sonic lives with them, not to mention they’re his best and only friends.
And we also know that Dr. Robotnik appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Not only is he the franchise big bad, as already discussed, but he’s also alive and well, just stranded on a mushroom planet. We got out first true look at Carrey, more in the traditional character sense with the first early look at the movie. Check out the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer:
There is a new addition to the cast with Idris Elba joining the fray. He voices the infamous Knuckles in another great throwback to the original movie. Fans were rightfully pumped about this development. Knuckles is a key part of the game and from the first look at the trailer, Robotnik has figured out how to make sure Knuckles can cause maximum damage.
THE SONIC 2 PLOT INCLUDED DR. ROBOTNIK AND KNUCKLES
Following the events of Sonic, our character is living a rather boring life in Green Hills. But it isn’t going to take long before the world is, once again, upended by the sinister plottings of Doctor Robotnik. The quiet suburban life is about to go a lot more Sonic when Robotnik and Knuckles show up looking for the Master Emerald, one of the Chaos Emeralds.
The trailer showed us we were in for more of the same tongue-in-cheek humor seen in the first movie along with the frenetic energy the character exudes. The film didn’t fail. Though he’s been subdued in the short-term, that quiet (and boring) serenity isn’t going to last long. Such is the way with the Sonic universe. This is about a speedster after all.
