Historically, movies based off video games have struggled in theaters, both financially and critically. But some of the best video game movies have arrived recently, including the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise (which can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription). Now that the spinoff TV series Knuckles is out, moviegoers are looking to the franchise’s return to theaters with Sonic 3. One of the movie’s producers recently revealed which game is inspiring the new sequel, and fans like me are gonna be hyped.
What we know about Sonic 3 is limited, so fans are curious about what’s coming next. The ending of Sonic 2 teased that Shadow was coming, but the studio has been keeping its cards close to the chest. Producer Toby Ascher recently spoke to our sister site GamesRadar, where he cited one beloved game. As he put it:
It’s going to be this giant, fun, incredible movie that obviously takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2 and some of the games that I know the core Sonic Team grew up loving.
Somebody play “Escape from the City” because Sonic Adventure 2 will seemingly be the biggest inspiration for the upcoming live-action threequel. That’s one of the most popular installments of the long-running video game franchise, so it should be fascinating to see the various ways it influences the third Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Luckily we only have a few more months before all of our questions will be answered.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that Sonic 3 is taking inspiration from Sonic Adventure 2. After all, the 2001 video game is where the villainous Shadow was introduced for the first time. So since he’s making his way to the big screen in the third film, it seems we’ll be getting some of that same story in live-action. Is it December yet?
What Happens in Sonic Adventure 2?
Sonic 3 is already one of the most highly anticipated upcoming video game movies, and hearing about its connection to Sonic Adventure 2 is sure to help buoy this excitement.
Sonic Adventure 2 was first released on the Dreamcast and Nintendo Gamecube, and offered players a big choice: to play as three villains or three heroes from the universe. In addition to Shadow, we were also introduced to Rogue the Bat, who is actually a spy pretending to be a villain. Throughout the game Shadow’s tragic backstory is revealed, and he goes from villain to unlikely hero in the final level.
It’s unclear how closely this is going to be adapted, and if we’ll meet characters from the game like Shadow’s friend Maria. But since in the game she’s also Robotnik’s cousin, so that could connect the villains of Sonic 3. We’ll just have to wait for more information, and see how the story of Adventure 2 is brought into the threequel.
All will be revealed when Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters December 20th. In the meantime, check the 2024 movie release dates.