Sonic the Hedgehog 4 release window, plot theories, cast & characters

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is officially green-lit, and the movie already has a release window – but it’s pretty far away, and fans are convinced something else may fill the gap.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is off to an incredible start: it’s the best-rated film in the trilogy on Rotten Tomatoes (read our four-star review), and it’s performing well at the box office, even beating Mufasa: The Lion King in the US.

It’s only been in cinemas nationwide for one weekend, but Paramount was so encouraged by the threequel’s reception that it’s given the go-ahead on Sonic 4 (which could be based on Sonic Heroes, but I’ll get to that later).

Alas, if you’re hoping to see it in cinemas next year (or even the year after), you’re out of luck.

Is there a Sonic the Hedgehog 4 release date?

Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will hit cinemas in Spring 2027, but it doesn’t have an exact release date.

It may seem like a longer gap compared to its predecessors, but it’s not really: the first Sonic came out in February 2020, Sonic 2 hit cinemas in March 2022, and Sonic 3 was released on December 20, 2024 – that’s two and a half years between the second and third entries.

Besides, if Keanu Reeves returns as Shadow, the movie’s production will need to contend with his schedule – and that’s before you get to everyone else, plus its lengthy post-production work on VFX. So Spring 2027 seems pretty reasonable.

Why is Sonic 4 taking so long?

Paramount Pictures

While Sonic 4 isn’t taking that long, there is a possible reason for the gap: we may be getting Knuckles Season 2, or another spinoff could be in the works.

Knuckles Season 2 hasn’t been confirmed by Paramount, but according to DanielRPK, it’s being discussed by the streamer – and there’s a chance it could bring in Team Chaotix (Charmy Bee, Espio the Chameleon, and Vector the Crocodile).

Idris Elba and Reeves have also expressed interest in a Knuckles and Shadow TV show, and Paramount reportedly has “big plans” for Silver, a character introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog ’06.

SEGA

Producer Toby Ascher told Comic Book: “There’s such a rich universe of stories. I don’t see us slowing down at all.”

In other words, something is probably coming, and fans are already excited. “I think it’s because they might be making a side project,” one fan wrote.

“A Shadow spin-off has been heavily rumored for a while. With how much faith they have in the character these days I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a full-blown movie,” another commented. “I have a feeling there is something else in the works too. Not just the movie. A Shadow-only movie or series. A series with Team Chaotix. Anything,” a third added.

“With Sonic 4 aiming for Spring 2027, I’d guess that something will come by 2026 in terms of a Paramount+ project like Knuckles Season 2, Shadow Project, or a Tails show,” a fourth wrote.

Who’s in the Sonic 4 cast?

Paramount Pictures

Ben Schwartz will return as Sonic the Hedgehog, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba are expected to reprise their roles as Tails and Knuckles respectively.

It’s likely that Tika Sumpter and James Marsden will return as Maddie and Tom too… but beyond that, it’s harder to predict.

During an appearance on CBS’ This Morning show, director Jeff Fowler joked that Reeves will be playing Shadow for the next 30 years. Given the ending of Sonic 3, fans can probably safely expect Reeves to return to the role for at least one more movie, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

We’re about to get into spoiler territory now, so this is your chance to run!

There are three big questions: who will voice Amy Rose, who will play Metal Sonic, and will Jim Carrey return as Robotnik after the character’s death in Sonic 3?

There aren’t any details regarding the first two questions, so we’ll just need to wait and see. Speaking to Dexerto, Fowler teased the possibility of Carrey coming back (and if you’ve played the Sonic games, you should know that Eggman is rarely dead for any serious length of time).

“Jim loves playing this character, I love working with Jim. It’s far too soon to speculate… any opportunity to [keep working with him] would be welcomed,” he said.

What will Sonic 4 be about?

Paramount/SEGA

There’s good reason to predict Sonic 4 will be some sort of adaptation of Sonic Heroes, given what happens in Sonic 3.

In short, Shadow is still alive, Amy Rose is finally in the mix, and Metal Sonic is introduced. Those are all significant players in Sonic Heroes, and given it’s the next mainline game in the series after Sonic Adventure 2 (the main inspiration for Sonic 3), it makes sense.

Speaking to Dexerto, Fowler didn’t name any specific games, but he insisted he wants to “honor and celebrate” other titles in the series.

 ”I think the way we love working is just cherry-picking ideas that we think fans would be excited about and they go into a sort of melting pot,” he explained.

SEGA

“Obviously, with Sonic 3 going back to Sonic Adventure 2 where Shadow first appeared, it felt like that was the most obvious place to really be pulling story points and just the vibe that we think fans would get excited about seeing. So that was a very specific sort of focus.

“In terms of where things go from here, I think there’s a lot of inspiring elements and a lot of games that could influence it.

“You know, I don’t want to get too specific, but I will say the thing that’s always the most exciting for our team is when we’re coming to the end of one journey on a movie, and we plant those seeds for where things might go next, it’s hard to not just immediately get excited about all the possibilities.”

Officially, plot details for Sonic 4 are under wraps, so keep your eyes peeled for any other updates.

In the meantime, find out what happens in Sonic 3’s post-credits scenes, keep up to date with Sonic 3’s box office performance, and check out how the new movie changes Shadow and Maria’s story. You can also read our list of the best movies of 2024.