In this modern of cinematic universes and huge franchises, when it comes to sequels there seems to be one golden rule: Gotta go fast. And if there's anyone who knows a thing or two about going fast, then it's SEGA's blue-haired speedster Sonic The Hedgehog, the Ben Schwartz voiced star of Jeff Fowler's eponymous video game blockbusters. With that being said, ahead of Sonic The Hedgehog 3's release in cinemas this Friday, Variety have today confirmed that Paramount Pictures are already preparing to turn Fowler's trilogy into a quadrilogy with Sonic The Hedgehog 4.
With the first two movies in the big-screen Sonic franchise proving a hit with fans, running riot at the box office to the tune of $725 million and spawning an Idris Elba led Knuckles spin-off show, the announcement of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 is hardly surprising. And with the movies going from strength to strength as they go along, bolstered by the arrivals of fan favourite characters like Knuckles (Elba), Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey), and Shadow The Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves), it does seem as if Fowler and co have only really just scratched the surface of the games' rich lore and deep bench of unique characters. Plus, with Jim Carrey having all but retired save for his now bi-annual outing as Dr. Robotnik, more Sonic movies is the only way we can guarantee more Jim Carrey movies!
Naturally, with Sonic The Hedgehog 3 having not even hit our screens just yet, we have no idea what a fourquel will look like or where it will go. Hell, at this point we haven't even got direct confirmation of Fowler, Schwartz, Reeves, James Marsden, or indeed any of the rest of the cast and crew's returns — though we'd be very surprised if anyone didn't come back for more. All we do know is that with Reeves joining the roster as gun-toting anti-hero Shadow in this latest outing and buzz building already about new characters set to show up in Fowler's film, you can bet your life that we'll be spending our hard-earned golden rings on tickets to see Sonic The Hedgehog 4 whenever it does eventually head our way. We'll race you to the cinema — 2027 will be here sooner than you think!