News just in from the Sonic-verse! No, Ugly Sonic isn’t making a surprise comeback after his profile-boosting Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers cameo, and the threequel isn’t in production yet. But if you wanted more from Idris Elba as bad-boy echidna Knuckles (what a world this is), then you’re in luck – the big red guy is getting his own live-action spin-off series on Paramount+, and it’s just started shooting. Gold rings all around.
As the above slate confirms, the first episode of the series will be directed by Jeff Fowler, who helmed both Sonic The Hedgehog and Sonic The Hedgehog 2. The series, which will see Idris Elba reprise his role as the voice of Knuckles (again, take a moment to appreciate what a world we live in), takes place between the second film and the upcoming third entry, which is due in cinemas in December 2024. Also returning from the film will be Adam Pally as Wade Whipple, a character who’ll be the central to the show – the plot of which sees Knuckles “agree[ing] to train Wade as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.”
Also starring in the show will be The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt, Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi), Game Of Thrones’ Rory McCann, and British actor-comedian Ellie Taylor. Sonic 2 co-writer John Whittington is on board as head writer and executive producer, while other directors on the show include The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone, Brandon Trost, Ged Wright, and Carol Banker. Expect the Knuckles series (for a third time, what a world!) to arrive sometime before Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – or, as we may end up calling it, ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3 And Knuckles’. For some reason, that just sounds right.