Sonic 3 Director Teases the Importance of Shadow and Maria’s Story

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will soon be speeding into cinemas and one element of the upcoming video game adaptation that fans are excited to see on screen is Shadow the Hedgehog, who will be voiced by Keanu Reeves in the new movie.

The third Sonic the Hedgehog film continues the franchise adaptation from Paramount Pictures, which places SEGA’s famous video game characters in the human world. The first movie saw Sonic (Ben Schwartz) build a family with James Marsden’s police officer, Tom Wachowski. The second movie then expanded the universe by introducing key Sonic characters Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) into the story. Knuckles was initially an adversary to Sonic before the two eventually teamed up to take down Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). In the third film, the franchise is introducing one of its most anticipated characters from the games yet, the antihero, Shadow.

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Shadow and Maria Are Crucial to Sonic 3

Many fans are waiting to see how Shadow’s lore will play out in the film adaptation. Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s director Jeff Fowler took to X (formerly Twitter) recently to post about the significance of Shadow and Maria’s relationship in the film, which he said “is one of the most important [stories] in the entire Sonic universe.” The director accompanied the post by revealing the very first piece of concept art they created for the film which highlights Shadow and Maria’s connection as they look at each other while separated by a glass tank. Fowler added that the team respected the importance of Shadow and Maria’s story and knew they “had to make it great” in the movie.

In Sonic lore, Shadow is known to have been created by Robotnik’s grandfather, Gerald, and ends up forming a close friendship with his granddaughter Maria. After witnessing her death, Shadow vows revenge, but after a journey, he ultimately adheres to Maria’s wishes for him to protect humanity. Shadow is a much darker and edgier character from the Sonic roster, who will no doubt provide a great foil for Sonic in the third film. It appears that Sonic 3 will not shy away from Shadow and Maria’s friendship and intends to do it justice. Maria is set to be portrayed by Alyla Browne (Furiosa), who has a tall order as the character who essentially serves as Shadow’s moral compass.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is expected to have quite a short runtime, which has led to concerns over whether Shadow’s introduction will be done justice. Judging by trailers, Shadow will form a large part of the film’s story, with Fowler praising Reeves’ version of the character, but whether it will be enough to get across everything that fans want from the character remains to be seen. Depending on where Sonic the Hedgehog 3 leaves Shadow, there’s potentially room for the character to appear in future installments or perhaps even lead his own spin-off series, similar to Knuckles.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be released in cinemas on December 20.

Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sets up a new threat for Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails by introducing Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow presents such a big danger to planet Earth, that the heroes have to team up with Dr. Robotnik.

Release Date

December 20, 2024

Director

Jeff Fowler

Cast

Jim Carrey , Ben Schwartz , James Marsden , Tika Sumpter , Idris Elba , Colleen O’Shaughnessey , Natasha Rothwell , Keanu Reeves

Writers

Pat Casey , Josh Miller , John Whittington

Production Company

Sega Sammy Group, Original Film, Marza Animation Planet, Blur Studio

prequel(s)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Based On

Sonic the Hedgehog Games

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