Another Sonic the Hedgehog movie is racing into theaters. After the blockbuster success of the franchise’s third installment, Paramount is wasting no time in dating Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Deadline reports that the film will hit the big screen on March 19, 2027.
The announcement comes as no surprise; the animation/live-action hybrid series has been a solid bet at the box office, with last year’s Sonic 3 becoming the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. Two years out, the 2027 release calendar is still very much in flux, so it’s hard to say what competition Sonic will face. Universal has an as-yet unrevealed film slated for March 19; two weeks earlier, Warner Bros. has March 5 staked out for a DC Comics film, while the next week, March 26, is earmarked for one of Legendary‘s Monsterverse films, the first since 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. After that, the release calendar is barren until Marvel kicks off the summer blockbuster season with Avengers: Secret Wars.
What Do We Know About ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’?
Right now, all we know about the film is that Paramount is already working on it. However, much as the first two films in the series teased the appearances of new characters from the Sonic mythos who went on to star in the subsequent films, so did the third. A post-credits scene has Sonic imperiled by a number of his own robotic doppelgangers, the Metal Sonics introduced in 1993’s Sonic CD game. However, he is rescued by another notable character, pink-hued hedgehog Amy Rose. It’s likely that both Amy Rose and the Metal Sonics will feature in the fourth film, as will anti-heroic Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Keanu Reeves), who is shown to have survived the film’s explosive finale.
However, the fate of Sonic’s longtime adversary Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is up in the air, as both seemingly perished in Sonic 3. Jeff Fowler has directed the previous three films in the franchise; it remains unrevealed whether he will return for a fourth bite at the chili dog. It also remains unclear whether the film’s live-action and voice cast will return, including Ben Schwartz (Sonic), Colleen O’Shaughnessy (Tails), Idris Elba (Knuckles), and James Marsden (Tom Wachowski).
This is all happening at a chaotic time for Paramount, as the venerable studio is in the midst of an acquisition by Skydance Media. Despite its ownership of various valuable properties, including Top Gun, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and Transformers, the media giant has struggled lately to adapt to the changing entertainment landscape. The Sonic films have certainly helped to bolster its bottom line in recent years.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be released in theaters on March 19, 2027. You can watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in theaters now.
via Collider