As audiences across the globe race to theaters to check out the Blue Blur's third adventure, Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a fourth installment, titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and have already slated it for an early 2027 release.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 features two post-credit sequences, both of which set up future stories, so this announcement was more of an inevitability than not, but it's certainly nice of the studio to make it official before the latest film's launch.
Early tracking buzz is projecting an opening in the $55 million to $60 million range for the Jeff Fowler-directed threequel, which likely means it will top the weekend box office, swiping the crown from Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King.
Critics have been much higher on Sonic 3 as well, with the film currently boasting a franchise-best 88% Certified Fresh certification on review aggregator RottenTomatoes (compared to 57% for Mufasa), so it could perform even better than expected over the weekend into the extended Christmas and New Year's holiday.
The previous two films were massive hits for Paramount, with the first grossing over $320 million in 2020 and the second taking in over $405.4 million in 2022. The Knuckles spin-off series for Paramount+ was also a roaring success and we could be on the verge of getting more as voice actor Idris Elba recently expressed interest in doing another spin-off, this time with Keanu Reeves' Shadow.
While details are scarce, we should probably expect Jeff Fowler to return alongside writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington. No plot details have been revealed, but the aforementioned post-credits scene should give fans some idea on which direction they'll be going with the fourth live-action chapter of the storied video game series turned blockbuster movie franchise.
Ben Schwartz headlines Sonic 3 as the titular hedgehog, with a supporting cast consisting of Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Miles "Tails" Prower, Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, and Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog.
The human supporting cast features Jim Carrey ("Dr. Ivo Robotnik" & "Gerald Robotnik"), James Marsden ("Tom Wachowski"), Tika Sumpter ("Maddie Wachowski"), Krysten Ritter ("Director Rockwell"), Natasha Rothwell ("Rachel"), Shemar Moore ("Randall Handel"), Lee Majdoub ("Agent Stone"), Tom Butler ("Commander Walters"), James Wolk ("Young Commander Walters"), Adam Pally ("Wade Whipple"), Alyla Browne ("Maria Robotnik"), Sofia Pernas ("Gabriella"), Cristo Fernández ("Pablo/Juan"), and Jorma Taccone ("Kyle Lancebottom").
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters!