Sonic 3 will soon hit the big screen as everyone's favorite hedgehog speedster makes his long-awaited return. This time around, he'll be facing his biggest challenge yet as he comes face-to-face with Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by the legendary Keanu Reeves). Alongside the newcomer, the threequel also features the return of plenty of the major cast, including Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz, as we gear up for another adventure.
As one of the most anticipated upcoming video game movies, we're particularly excited to see just where this one takes us. So ahead of its release, we've compiled an ultimate guide to one of 2024's final new movies, featuring everything you need to know about it. We've got the Sonic 3 release date, the full details on the Sonic 3 cast, a breakdown of the Sonic 3 trailer, and even some exclusive details from the creators about what to expect. So what are you waiting for? Let's go!
If you're in the mood for more of the blue speedster, you can also check out our guides to the best Sonic games of all time as well.
Sonic 3 release date
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be released just in time for Christmas. The United States will get it first on December 20, before it's released in the United Kingdom on December 21.
The movie has been in the making for a while after being first announced in February 2022. Delays were caused by the writers' and actors' strikes in 2023, which meant filming with live-action stars could only begin in November 2023. Production wrapped in March 2024.
Sonic 3 plot
Sonic 3 will be inspired by the video game Sonic Adventure 2 and picks up with our ragtag group as they face a new enemy. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles face a powerful adversary in Shadow the Hedgehog. Out of their depth, they decide to make an unexpected alliance with Dr. Robotnik in order to save the planet.
Speaking to 12DOVE earlier in 2024, producer Toby Ascher told us that he thinks the movie is "probably the most exciting thing that we’ve done in the franchise." He continued: "It’s going to be this giant, fun, incredible movie that obviously takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2 and some of the games that I know the core Sonic Team grew up loving."
Sonic 3 cast
The Sonic 3 cast is looking pretty stacked as many of the major stars return for the threequel. Alongside the major names too are some newcomers, including Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter and John Wick's Keanu Reeves.
The latter has apparently been doing a lot of research to get in character as Shadow, with the director Jeff Fowler revealing "he really wants to get it right." In a recent interview, Fowler said: "He really wanted to create a very fan-faithful version of the character. He did research. In our first meeting, he very clearly had gone and done his homework, which was awesome."
Check out the full voice and live-action cast list below.
- Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog
- Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails
- Idris Elba as Knuckles
- Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog
- Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik (and Gerald Robotnik)
- James Marsden as Tom Wachowski
- Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski
- Krysten Ritter as Director Rockwell
- Natasha Rothwell as Rachel
- Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone
- Alyla Browne as Maria
- Shemar Moore as Randall Handel
- Adam Pally as Wade Whipple
Right now, we still don't know who a few stars will be playing. Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernández, Mad Men's James Wolk, The Lonely Island's Jorma Taccone, and The Brave's Sofia Pernas have all been cast in undisclosed roles.
Sonic 3 trailer
You can watch the main Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer above, which gave us our first major look at Shadow. The teaser begins with Sonic enjoying life with his best buds and family when a security breach leads to Shadow escaping from the high-tech facility where he was being held. Team Sonic is brought in to save the day, but 'Project Shadow' soon ends up being way more than they bargained for.
"He's too powerful," Sonic says at one point before the team decides they need help from none other than Dr. Robotnik. "If I can't rule the world, I might as well save it," Robotnik says as he joins the gang in their fight to beat Shadow. Oh, and we also see Robotnik reunite with his grandfather Gerald Robotnik in the final few moments too.
This isn't the only teaser we've had, as a new clip released for Halloween also gave us another look at Shadow as well. We've still got about a month to go until the release date too, which means we might get another trailer before the big day as well. We'll keep you posted.
For more, check out all of the 2024 movie release dates still to come.
