The last normal thing I did before the pandemic hit was see Sonic the Hedgehog in theaters, and that felt far from normal. Now we’re gearing up for the third film in what’s now a franchise, in addition to the Knuckles miniseries. Honestly, who would have thought?
In all seriousness, if Paramount plays their cards right, Sonic could be the dark horse cinematic universe that we neither need nor particularly want, but one that could still come out with a winning hand. While it may take some elbow grease to start roping in the Archie Comics lore (Paramount probably won’t jump at the prospect of Sonic getting lobotomized in live-action), there are still plenty of storylines from the video games to pull from. New Sonic 3 recruit Alyla Browne may have just given fans a strong hint as to where we’re going next.
A recent Instagram post shows the actress sitting on a Sonic 3 set chair with the name “Maria,” written on it. Maria Robotnik is an important figure in Shadow the Hedgehog‘s backstory, and we already know that Shadow will appear in Sonic 3.
For those of you not familiar with Sonic Adventure 2 or the Shadow the Hedgehog video game, just know that things probably aren’t going to go well for Maria. This may also be the moment in which Shadow’s psyche is gutted in one swift action and subsequently transforms him into one of humanity’s greatest hopes (or scourges, depending on who you ask). Exactly which of those identities he’ll occupy is a question that’s likely to anchor the tension of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as a whole.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters on December 20, 2024.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
Published: Feb 18, 2024 04:31 pm