As if casting Idris Elba in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 wasn’t enough of a scoop, this year’s third Sonic movie will reportedly see the eternally youthful Keanu Reeves take on the role of Shadow.
That’s according to The Hollywood Reporter, which has little to say about the news beyond the fact Reeves’ appearance in the Sonic 3 has been corroborated by “multiple sources”.
Shadow the Hedgehog made a brief post-credits appearance in 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, and reportedly resurfaced again last week in new Sonic 3 footage shown during Paramount’s behind-closed-doors CinemaCon 2024 presentation – but, with the character having no dialogue in either showing, his voice actor has remained shrouded in secrecy.
Assuming The Hollywood Reporter’s sources are on the money about Reeves, he’ll be joining returning cast members Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Lee Majdoub, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Tom Butler, and Tika Sumpter in Sonic 3. Other cast additions include Krysten Ritter, Jorma Taccone, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, and Alyla Browne, who’ll be playing Maria Robotnik from Sonic Adventure 2.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will debut in US cinemas on 20th December this year, and it marks the latest step in Paramount’s plan to turn the Sonic films into “Avengers-level events”. Sega will also be doing its bit to give Shadow some attention when Sonic x Shadow Generations – a remastered version of the 2011 platformer with new Shadow-themed stages – comes to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC this autumn.