Reader, if you don’t mind a quick look into my personal neurosis, let me tell you that when I’m really looking forward to something, I get a great deal of anxiety about possibly dying before I get to experience it. I’ve felt this about video games, movies, albums, concerts, and pretty much anything else worth being excited about. Right now, the third live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie is near the top of my list of Things I Must Survive Long Enough To Experience. This isn’t because I think the movie will be great, or even good, it’s because Shadow the Hedgehog, the best character in the franchise, is set to appear as a main character. All those feelings of excitement and existential dread have been roused today, as Paramount has released a picture of the angsty, broody, gun-toting king on set…well, his feet, at least.
The image of Shadow’s iconic hover shoes was posted November 29 to the Sonic movie’s social media accounts. It features what appears to be Shadow’s stand-in statue standing over a director’s slate featuring the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 logo. These statues are used during filming to give live-action actors a frame of reference for the animated character’s position, so they know where to look when delivering lines before they’re dubbed by voice actors. Some of the early set photos from Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s production showed the crew putting up statues of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, so it looks like Shadow is on set now, as well.
Eagle-eyed fans have pointed out the logo bears a striking resemblance to the logo of Sonic Adventure 2, which includes a mirror image of Sonic and Shadow’s outlines as they’re curled into a ball for a spin dash. Shadow debuted in this game on the Dreamcast in 2001, and while we still don’t know much about Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s plot, Shadow’s discovery in the second movie’s post-credits scene echoes his debut in the games. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 probably isn’t a direct adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2, but it does seem to be taking inspiration from it.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to premiere on December 20, 2024, which is an agonizingly long time from right now. We still don’t know who’s voicing Sonic’s rival in the live-action series, but the movies have shot for the stars when it comes to casting. Sonic is voiced by Parks and Recreation star Ben Schwartz and Idris Elba is reprising his role as Knuckles after recently appearing in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. But the producers have also brought in some talent from the games; Colleen O’Shaughnessey voices Tails, just as she has in the games since 2014. So it could be anyone, though I’m still partial to the Keanu Reeves and Robert Pattinson fan castings that have been circulating since Shadow showed up in the second movie.