In Sonic the Hedgehog 3's mid-credits scene, the title character found himself surrounded by an army of Metal Sonics. Things looked bleak for the speedster until he was saved by Amy Rose, his iconic love interest from the games.
She didn't have a voice in the stinger, but The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that she'll be brought to life in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 by Frozen star Kristen Bell. Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz confirmed the news on social media.
The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has attracted top-tier voice talent, with Idris Elba as Knuckles and Keanu Reeves as Shadow. Colleen O'Shaughnessey, meanwhile, reprised her role from the games as Tails.
The human cast is rounded out by James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdoub, and Jim Carrey as the villainous Dr. Robotnik. According to the trade, "Most are expected to return to reprise their parts." Beyond that, plot details are being kept under wraps.
Amy is an anthropomorphic pink hedgehog with a crush on Sonic. Since meeting him, she's declared herself his girlfriend and has attempted to win his heart by any means in many of their adventures. She wields the Piko Piko Hammer and never leaves home without it.
Amy is a cheerful, though slightly erratic, girl with a positive attitude and nature and boundless energy. However, she has a fiery temper, and her infatuation with Sonic makes her short-sighted and a bit obsessive about him, having followed him everywhere since meeting him.
Jeff Fowler returns to direct Sonic the Hedgehog after helming the first three instalments. He previously addressed Amy Rose's introduction when he said, "We actually had the idea pretty early, during storyboarding. We love doing these teasers, and with [Sonic the Hedgehog] having 30-plus years of games, there are so many amazing characters."
"We're all dying to get a female character in the mix with Amy, but at the same time, to honor how they were both introduced in Sonic CD. So it felt very cool to honor that chronology and have them simultaneously introduced. Of course, it would be reckless and irresponsible to not have had at least some story conversations."
"You don't want to just put a character in there and then wake up after the movie's out and have no idea what to do with them. With the movies, what we always try to do is honor the characters and stories that made them so iconic, but also give it a movie coat of paint. So now that's the challenge with Amy and Metal."
Fowler added, "I can't really speak to any of the Sonic 4 stuff, but I will just say that we never put these characters in lightly — it's always because we think they're going to bring something interesting and new to the story. That really is the overall goal: to make each of these films unique. We never want to repeat ourselves."
Bell has received Disney Legend status for her role as Anna in the Frozen franchise. She also counts Veronica Mars, The Good Place, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, and the upcoming Violent Night 2 among her credits.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 races into theaters on March 19, 2027.