Shadow the Hedgehog Spinoff: The Rise of a Black-Hearted Evil, Brave-Hearted Hero

The Evolution of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog's big-screen world may be growing, with the franchise's coolest character now rumored to be starring in his own movie. The blue blur's first leap from gaming came in 1993's Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which paved the way for Sonic Underground and Sonic X as we sped into the millennium. Since then, we've had Sonic Boom and Netflix's Sonic Prime, which reached its dreaded, somewhat divisive end last week. And then there's the live-action movies, with the first making its unexpectedly superb debut in 2020 after the initial tsunami of fan backlash. The sequel was similarly great, and it's become the launchpad for not only a third movie, but a Knuckles spinoff series on Paramount Plus.

Sonic's best frenemy could be lighting up cinemas in his own film. A Shadow the Hedgehog spinoff is in development, according to scooper Daniel Richtman. This could be a movie, but it could also be a TV show, much like Knuckles. Sonic 2's post-credits scene was a huge tease, revealing a secret file dating back 50 years and a brief look at Shadow emerging from his frozen chamber. The writer of the third movie, Patrick Casey, shared insights into Shadow's character, describing him as a match for Sonic but with a different personality driven by anger and revenge. Shadow is confirmed to appear in Sonic 3, but his voice actor remains a mystery, with fan cast lists featuring names like Keanu Reeves, Nicolas Cage, Aaron Paul, Adam Driver, and Jason Griffith.