The Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise already has plans for Shadow the Hedgehog's future if recent rumors from behind the scenes at Paramount are to be believed.

While Sonic the Hedgehog got off to a rocky start when it released its first trailer and had to be visually reworked following fan backlash, the film would go on to commercial success and critical acclaim, with a lot of hype surrounding the sequel. While it wasn’t a hit with every viewer, there was enough enjoyment from the sequel, specifically Jim Carrey's stellar return performance, to allow for contention as to whether Sonic the Hedgehog was better than the sequel or not. In that regard, one major standout moment from the sequel is its mid-credit scene introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog to the live-action Sonicverse.

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While there are questions about where the Sonic movies can go from here, the sequel’s character introduction might be a clue as to another path the studio might explore. According to well-known source Daniel Richtman via his Patreon, Paramount Pictures is embarking on a new Sonic spinoff project revolving around Shadow the Hedgehog. While the source doesn’t specify whether the project being developed is a movie or TV show, there’s no doubt that Shadow is set to feature prominently in the franchise’s future, with the character being insanely popular amongst core fans of the series and having a lot of obvious appeal for new, young fans of the property that came in from the movies.

While the character will feature prominently alongside the already established cast in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, there’s no doubt that Shadow could carry a solo Sonic the Hedgehog movie. A TV show or solo film outside the mainline theatrical offerings could also get some character development or a more fleshed-out introduction. This seems more in line with the general trends of the industry.

While the source is generally pretty trustworthy, this is all just speculation at this point, and fans can add a potential official announcement from Paramount concerning Shadow the Hedgehog to the list of things to expect from Sonic in 2024. How prominently Shadow will feature in the future direction of the franchise might still be up in the air, but fans can certainly be excited about the potential.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 20, 2024.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.

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Source: Daniel Ritchman/Patreon