'Sonic the Hedgehog 4' Officially Brings Back Its Best Characters After Cliffhanger Ending

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Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails in 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3'

Published Mar 19, 2026, 1:42 PM EDT

A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he's an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, '70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, '90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they're good, and maybe even more when they're bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed "Canuxploitation."

An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account.

Paramount has announced the cast list for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and there are more than a few surprises. The gang from the first three films is back (including at least one character who was seemingly vaporized at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3), and there are some mysterious new additions. The film will hit theaters on March 19, 2027.

According to reports, Ben Schwartz will return as the voice of Sonic, while James Marsden and Tika Sumpter will return as his human pals Tom and Maddie Wachowski. The menagerie of supporting characters will include returnees Colleen O'Shaughnessey as flying fox Tails, Idris Elba as hot-headed echidna Knuckles, Keanu Reeves as the antiheroic Shadow, and new addition Kristen Bell as Amy Rose, a female hedgehog who turned up in the closing moments of the last film. Jim Carrey is back as the arch villain Dr. Robotnik; he seemingly perished in the last films to stop the even-more-evil plans of his grandfather, Gerald (also Carrey), but like his video game counterpart, has apparently survived to fight another day. Likewise, Lee Majdoub is back as Robotnik's henchman, Agent Stone. There are four new additions to the cast playing unspecified roles: Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley; Matt Berry, who recently narrated this year's Oscars; British comedian and actor Richard Ayoade; and Nick Offerman, who starred alongside Schwartz on Parks and Recreation.

What Happened in 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3'?

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sees Gerald Robotnik, the maniacal grandfather of series archnemesis Ivo Robotnik, return from decades of exile; he releases Shadow the Hedgehog, who he'd experimented on years ago, from suspended animation as part of a plot to reclaim an orbital weapon, the Eclipse Cannon. Sonic and company have to race into action to battle Gerald and Shadow, but are ultimately powerless to prevent him from reactivating the weapon. Ivo joins forces with his grandfather, only to learn that he intends to use the weapon to destroy the entire Earth; he betrays him and destroys the space station, seemingly killing himself and Shadow in the process. In the film's post-credits scene, Sonic finds himself confronted by an army of Metal Sonic robots, only to be rescued by Amy Rose; meanwhile, Shadow is seen to have survived the conflagration.

The three Sonic the Hedgehog movies, adaptations of the popular video game series from Sega, have so far grossed over $1 billion USD worldwide. They also spawned a spin-off miniseries, Knuckles; an as-yet untitled spin-off film is also in the works, and will be released on December 22, 2028.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be released on March 19, 2027. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.