With the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, many fans think this will eventually close the Sonic franchise cinematically—but it looks like there are plans for even more Sonic on the big screen.
As it turns out, director Jeff Fowler has confirmed that a teaser for the next film will be released by the end of the third movie.
Tease for Sonic 4
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Fowler confirms that there are already talks of who could be coming out for a fourth film. He says, “It's fun to see the fan debates online about who's coming up next, who's going to be teased at the end of the film… We have a lot of the same conversations. We've all got our favorites on the filmmaking side, and we're all making great cases for 'it should be this one or that one.' It is fun to keep that anticipation. This movie is no different in terms of teasing new characters."
Like the last two Sonic films, the third is also expected to ‘set the stage for a potential fourth movie to introduce another video game character after Tails and now Shadow.’
Is Silver the Hedgehog Coming?
As Fowler said, fans have been talking online about who the next character could be after Shadow. According to a new rumor from insider Daniel RPK (via @sonicstadium), the next character that could be making his debut is Silver the Hedgehog.
Introduced in 2006, Silver is said to be a time traveler from 200 years into the future who has come to the past to stop major catastrophes from destroying his world. Since Silver is not categorized as a villain, though, some fans have suggested that they could use him as a red herring and introduce the real villain, Metal Sonic.
It’s essentially a plotline out of Dragon Ball Z where Trunks returns in time to do what time travelers always do, but at least with this theory, the movie can introduce two more characters.
Other Sonic Favorites
With Sonic’s gang already including Tails and Knuckles, there could be a push to include the rest of the Sonic characters in the next film. We have yet to get any hints at Amy Rose and Sticks the Badger, but every Sonic fan knows that a character that would blow the mind of every millennial furry is Rouge the Bat.
For now, fans are still waiting for the reception of the next movie. So far, the Sonic films have been moderate successes, and there has been a lot of hype for Shadow coming to the big screen. Nobody was expecting Jim Carrey to return, and he’s in Sonic 3 twice.
It's unclear what the Sonic movies' endgame will be, but with a strong fanbase and enough box office appeal, fans could be looking at a long decade of Sonic movies. Who knows, maybe a crossover with Chris Pratt's Super Mario will happen in the next few years.
Watch out for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in cinemas on Dec. 20.
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