The fourth Sonic the Hedgehog movie is in development, and it’s set to come out in 2027

Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the third live-action film based on Sega’s iconic mascot, is coming out today in theaters all around the world. And it already is such a huge critical success that Paramount Pictures recently green-lighted a fourth entry.

Image via Paramout Pictures/YouTube

According to Variety, Paramount Pictures has begun working on a potential Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and it currently plans to release it in Spring 2027. All the previous films in this series have come out in two-year intervals (Sonic 1 in 2020, Sonic 2 in 2022, and Sonic 3 in 2024), so this tentative release year means we’ll have to wait a little bit more for the fourth film. Nevertheless, it’s possible that the studio will also release other content set in the same universe in the meantime as the recent Knuckles show on Paramount+.

The existence of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is not a surprise at all: Not only has Sonic 3 been receiving positive reviews all around the board, but it’s also expected that it’ll become a box office hit, especially during the holiday season. On top of that, the previous two films were huge commercial and critical successes, so it makes sense that Paramount Pictures would want to keep this franchise alive. Unfortunately, we still don’t know if director Jeff Fowler or any of the writers behind the trilogy are going to come back in the fourth entry.

Which classic Sonic the Hedgehog characters are going to appear in Sonic 4?

Image via Paramout Pictures/YouTube

As expected, Paramount Pictures has revealed no details on the plot of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and it’s currently keeping everything under wraps. However, this hasn’t stopped fans of the blue blur from speculating and theorizing which iconic characters may make their film debut in this upcoming film. It’s important to keep in mind that the post-credits scene of Sonic 3 does feature some beloved characters that will most likely appear in future projects, but I won’t mention them here since the movie has just come out and won’t be released in some countries until January 2025.

One of the most popular Sonic the Hedgehog characters that has yet to make an appearance in this cinematic universe is Rouge the Bat, so it’s possible that the studio may introduce her in the fourth film, especially considering that she usually hangs out with Shadow. Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat are another pair of powerful warriors with deep lore and a complex story, which would be very interesting to see adapted into live-action.

Lastly (and on the more lighthearted side), there’s Big the Cat and Cream the Rabbit, who would be very appealing to a younger audience. And that’s not even accounting for all the characters that are exclusive to the comic books! The Sonic the Hedgehog universe is really vast and creative, so if Paramount Pictures is truly confident of this IP, it could keep making live-action films for many years to come.

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