A few hours ago, Paramount Pictures released the must-see first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Now, we have some official stills (via GameFragger.com) from the movie, and those include a first look at Jessica Jones and The Defenders star Krysten Ritter.
Initially, we'd heard speculation she might be playing Rogue the Bat. Since these images dropped, there's been some speculation online that she could be Maria Robotnik, the cousin of Doctor Robotnik in the games and Shadow's friend and companion. However, she's named as Director Rockwell in official press materials from the studio.
We'd imagine it's Keanu Reeves' iconic anti-hero most of you will be interested in and he's also featured heavily in these new stills. Paramount and filmmaker Jeff Fowler have delivered what looks to be a pitch-perfect take on the character and, visually, the threequel looks more like the games come to life than even its well-received predecessors.
We also have an official synopsis which teases, "Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet."
"Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before," it continues. "With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet."
Talking about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 earlier this year, lead star Ben Schwartz said, "It’s really a step up from 2. If you’re a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, like I am, it’s heaven. You’re getting so many things you want in a Sonic movie that you haven’t got yet."
Asked what it's been like to work with Jim Carrey, the actor was quick to shoot down past claims of the screen icon being "difficult" to get along with on set. "I haven’t seen a shred of darkness in Jim Carrey. If you talk to him, he really works on understanding the universe. Tries to really connect with the big picture of everything. I think his purpose in life is to bring joy and enlightenment to people."
Director Jeff Fowler returns along with our all-star cast including Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, newcomers Alyla Browne and Krysten Ritter, with Keanu Reeves joining the franchise as Shadow the Hedgehog.
The story was written by Pat Casey & Josh Miller; they also penned the screenplay alongside John Whittington.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 races into theaters on December 20.