Big the Cat is out of the bag — Sonic the Hedgehog 3 likely isn’t the end of this adaptation franchise. Fans online are already going crazy about the post-credits scene, and now screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller have said that they have big dreams for future sequels. When asked about Sonic 4 in an interview with Collider this week, they took went even further, suggesting a whole cinematic universe could be in the works.
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“It’s such an obvious answer, but it’s crazy that we’re three movies in and we keep bringing in essentially two new characters in each sequel,” Miller said. “And we still know that fans are saying, ‘When are we going to get to see so and so? What about this one?’ So it’s not hard to imagine there can be easily several more sequels and keep expanding the universe.”
Miller also hinted that the franchise could look backward as well as forward, noting: “The franchise has not done a whole lot really into the idea of where Sonic came from. I mean, I know Sega has their specific parameters on what to do with that, but there’s still so much room for it to grow.”
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Casey interjected that Sega might be open to bolder ideas as each movie continues to earn money and positive reviews. He said: “I feel like these movies, as they continue to succeed, we’re also earning more and more leeway from Sega as they trust us more and more. Sega have been great partners.” From there, Casey joked: “Someday we’re gonna get Big the Cat into these things. That’s where this is all going.”
“Yes! In Sonic the Hedgehog Part Ten! Finally,” Miller added. Casey said: “Big the Cat is our Thanos, you know?”
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hit theaters on December 20, and has proven to be one of the most successful movies of this holiday season. It has grossed over $210 million worldwide on a budget of $122 million, and received generally positive reviews. It has resonated well with casual viewers and critics and the die-hard Sonic fandom, which is a challenging line to walk as Casey and Miller seemed to be joking about.
A fourth Sonic the Hedgehog movie went into development this month, and according to a report by Variety it will be a direct sequel to the three movies we’ve seen so far. Meanwhile, we’ve already seen a spinoff series about Knuckles (Idris Elba), and the cast is ready for more. In an interview with ComicBook, Elba and Keanu Reeves proposed a spinoff about their characters Knuckles and Shadow the Hedgehog teaming up.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in theaters now. The first two installments are streaming now on Hulu, Prime Video and Paramount+.