Paramount Global‘s PARAPARAA Paramount Pictures aims to elevate its live-action Sonic the Hedgehog films to the level of grand cinematic events akin to Walt Disney Co.’s DIS Marvel’s Avengers series.
Toby Ascher, executive producer of the franchise, discussed Paramount’s broader vision for Sonic and his universe in an interview with Paste Magazine.
He highlighted plans to delve into supporting characters through television spinoffs like the upcoming Knuckles series on Paramount+.
“We got really excited about the idea of expanding our characters in our world into television, specifically, because it gives us a platform to really do character studies,” Ascher said.
Regarding the films, Ascher stated: “We knew that, with Shadow coming into Sonic 3 and some of the bigger things that we want to do, the Sonic franchise on the movie side is going to be these Avengers-level events.”
“They're going to be these big, exciting stories that have a lot of different characters,” he added.
The upcoming “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” movie, slated for release later this year, will introduce Shadow the Hedgehog, a pivotal character and Sonic’s rival.
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Ascher hinted at further expansions, possibly including fan-favorite characters like Metal Sonic, drawn from the franchise’s extensive lore across games, shows, and comics.
Ascher praised the humor brought by Idris Elba and Adam Pally to the Knuckles series, stating, “I think it's by far the funniest version we've had in any of the Sonic movies so far. It leans into weird comedy partially because of Adam Pally and because of what Idris brings in a really great way.”
Paramount plans to infuse the mainline films with grandeur, with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” incorporating elements like the iconic theme “Live and Learn” from video game, Sonic Adventure 2, and introducing Maria Robotnik, a significant character from Shadow’s backstory.
“They're going to be these big, exciting stories that have a lot of different characters,” Ascher concluded.
While the Knuckles series will premiere on Apil 26, the movie “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is scheduled for release on Dec. 20, 2024.
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Photo: Kudinova Olena on Shutterstock.
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