Intro

Two and a half years ago, one of the most legendary video game characters in pop culture made his big screen debut: Sonic the Hedgehog. Since the blue hedgehog wearing sneakers is already running towards his third movie appearance, it's about time to present you an Original about "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". In this Original episode, you will learn everything about cast, crew, production and theories regarding the plot, which so far is still largely unknown. Before we start, we would like to point out that there is an imminent risk of spoilers for "Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2", and wish you lots of fun with our new video!

Recap Part 2

Let's kick off with a brief recap of the second movie before moving on to the potential storyline of Part 3. After the events of 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog, the world is all right for Sonic, Maddie and Tom for the moment, as Dr. Robotnik has been banished to a distant, mushroom-like planet through a portal ring. A few months pass and Sonic now tries to make himself useful to the citizens with his superhero powers. 

Before Tom and Maddie fly to Hawaii to attend the wedding of Maddie's sister and leave Sonic alone, there is a piece of advice from Tom to Sonic: He should have patience, after all, his powers would be needed sooner or later. And as if Tom had guessed it, shortly after saying goodbye to his foster parents, Sonic is attacked by the returned Robotnik and his new ally. This is Knuckles, who - driven by the search for the Master Emerald - has sided with Robotnik. Except for him, all the members of his Echidna tribe are extinct. Thus, he sees it as his calling to come into possession of this ancient and powerful relic.

Fortunately, Sonic is rescued by his friend Miles Prower alias Tails and manages to escape from Robotnik's clutches. The two end up staying with Wade, who happens to be a good friend and colleague of Tom. They try to figure out why exactly Sonic is supposed to be the key to the powerful Master Emerald. Eventually, Sonic manages to convince Tails to track down the mysterious relic, which is far too powerful to fall into wrong hands. In parallel, Robotnik contacts his assistant Agent Stone, who all this time was under the belief that Robotnik was dead. Likewise, Robotnik sets out to find the Emerald, but of course not to help Knuckles, but to claim the Stone's power for himself. Thanks to an old map from Sonic's mentor Longclaw and a compass, the heroes get ever closer to the Emerald. 

However, they are eventually located by both Robotnik and Knuckles and swept away by an avalanche. Sonic succeeds in contacting Tom in time and so the two of them are saved at the very last second by a portal ring. In doing so, they burst into the midst of the wedding ceremony, which is not only embarrassing, but actually very dangerous. It turns out that not only the guests, but also Rachel's fiancé are in truth undercover agents of the G.U.N.. They temporarily arrest Sonic, Tails and Tom before they can finally be freed by the heroic efforts of Maddie.

In the meantime, Robotnik and Knuckles find the emerald in an underwater temple, where the two finally face off again. During the combat, Robotnik secretly escapes with the Emerald and absorbs its power. Now Knuckles also realizes that he was only being used by Robotnik, and so from now on he joins Sonic and Tails in the fight against the evil doctor. He has meanwhile created a giant robot and is destroying Green Hills. The trio manages to get the Master Emerald back, although it shatters into the seven Chaos Emeralds. 

After Sonic, through his new form as Super Sonic, is able to destroy the robot and apparently Robotnik as well, Knuckles reassembles the seven stones into one and the three new friends live happily ever after in the home of Tom and Maddie. In a mid-credits scene, it is then revealed that Robotnik has disappeared without a trace. The G.U.N. encounters the secret Project Shadow and the last thing we see is a black hedgehog awakening in a research facility. 

Plot Theories Part 3

Now that the main points of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" have been summed up, it is time to turn our attention to the follow-up in Part 3. The sequel was already confirmed in February, which is why the preparations should be in full swing. The starting point is clear: we have a trio of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, and a disappeared Dr. Robotnik, who certainly has some things to sort out with the three of them. In the following, we introduce you to the most popular theories on how "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" could continue.

1. Shadow the Hedgehog

As was already hard to miss in the second part, we will meet Shadow the Hedgehog as the antagonist in the upcoming movie. As we already know thanks to a statement from director Jeff Fowler, the timeline of the movies is not based on the original sequence of the games. In terms of Shadow, this means that we will quite likely get to know the story of the gloomy character in more detail and also delve a bit deeper into the overall narrative of the Sonic franchise. 

That would also mean that - at least in flashbacks - we get to meet Robotnik's grandfather Gerald and his granddaughter Maria. The granddaughter is, by the way, one of the few people Shadow is not hostile to. But let's go back to the beginning: Shadow originates from the already mentioned Project Shadow, which was carried out about 50 years before the events of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". In the games, this is a research program of the United Federation, which is modeled on today's United States and is the home country of the military organization G.U.N.. The final product of this experiment, which was led by Gerald, are two creatures that are almost immortal: Biolizard and Shadow the Hedgehog.

However, after the creation of Shadow, the same-named project was scrapped due to its dangerous nature. Attempting to free Shadow, Maria Robotnik was shot by a G.U.N. soldier, which in turn led her grandfather Gerald to become a villain who sought to destroy the world for revenge. 

He was ultimately executed on Prison Island, though before doing so he implanted his quest for revenge into Shadow the Hedgehog. As a result, once Shadow is awakened, the world destruction plan that was programmed into him begins to take its course. At this point, we are just at the end of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" and so the theory that Shadow will be the main antagonist of the third movie is considered very feasible. 

2. Jim Carrey Replacement - Appearance of Metal Sonic?

As we have unfortunately known for some months, Jim Carrey has left acting at the age of almost 60. How final this decision ultimately is, cannot be said at the moment, but one thing is clear: His retirement from acting is probably a bad omen for a "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", which is probably already in pre-production. So the question must be asked how to replace the actor who, for many, carried the film with his inimitable style. A popular theory has gained momentum since the news of his end of acting, and that is one that favors an appearance by Metal Sonic in the upcoming blockbuster. 

In short, Metal Sonic is Robotnik's attempt to transfer Sonic's powers into a machine, or rather a robot, which he has succeeded in doing quite well. Thus, he is more or less a copy of the real Sonic, only without the many human attributes. In addition, Metal Sonic is definitely one of Sonic's strongest opponents and, unlike Shadow, who sometimes does show human emotions, he has a very clear and personal goal: to kill Sonic. Therefore, he is a vicious adversary who, as one of Robotnik's strongest creations, does credit to his inventor and could worthily represent him in Part 3. 

3. Amy Rose

Besides Knuckles and Tails, a character from the games that is at least as well-known is Amy Rose. She is not a villain, but rather a cheerful, positive and energetic hedgehog girl who has a crush on Sonic. The first hints of her appearance in "Sonic 3" came during a Q&A with screenwriters Patrick Casey and Josh Miller at the end of May. There they did not deny Amy's presence as a popular character in the third part, and instead they very openly stated that her appearance was in the works. It is understandable that they were not able to reveal much a few weeks after the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". However, it is at least encouraging that there is a chance of an appearance in the future. 

Even though she sometimes has quite the mood swings and is downright obsessed with her great love Sonic, she would surely energetically support the current trio in the fight against Shadow and the likes. Despite her often innocent nature, she is quite the powerful ally who can match her friends. For example, her main weapon is the Piko Piko Hammer, which Amy uses to defend herself and which gets bigger when she is angry. 

Cast and Production

There is still little information about the cast and production. The return of Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails and Idris Elba as Knuckles is considered certain. Regarding Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, there is no reliable information, however. Many claim that he will eventually take on the third part, while others take his departure from acting as serious. 

One thing is for sure: There will be no recasting of his character under any circumstances, as producers Toby Asher and Neal H. Moritz have already pointed out. It would also be more than foolish to attempt a recasting, as it would cause a gigantic shitstorm. Instead, several human actors will almost certainly return, including James Marsden and Tika Sumpter as Tom and Maddie, Adam Pally as Wade Whipple and Lee Majdoub as the submissive Robotnik ally Agent Stone. Since the G.U.N. will probably be playing a big role again, we can also imagine a return of Tom Butler as Commander Walters, Shemar Moore as undercover agent and pseudo-husband Randall and Natasha Rothwell as Maddie's sister Rachel. What remains even more exciting is the casting of Amy and Shadow, whose appearances are more or less assured. 

The release date of the animated spectacle was only recently announced: "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" will hit theaters in the US on December 20, 2024.

Outro

And that's it for our Original episode. How do you picture the upcoming "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and which characters and plotlines would you incorporate as a scriptwriter? Feel free to let us know in the comments!