Paramount Pictures is reportedly planning to release Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on 20 December 2024. The film based on the popular video game franchise will clash with Avatar 3. Paramount Pictures has also pushed the release date for their Smurfs animated musical to 14 February 2025. 

The first instalment in the franchise released in 2020 followed the adventures of a blue extraterrestrial hedgehog as he is accompanied by a town sheriff played by James Marsden. Ben Schwartz, known for his work in Parks and Recreation, voiced Sonic while Jim Carrey played Dr. Robotnik, the evil scientist who is the main antagonist for Sonic in the beloved video game franchise.

When the first look for the film was released, there was a widespread backlash from the fans who thought the VFX and character design for Sonic were not on par with the video game version. Director Jeff Fowler announced that they would redesign Sonic to make him look more accurate than the original version. Despite the controversy over Sonic’s design, the film went on to become a success and spawned a sequel, which was released in April of this year.

In April 2022, Jim Carrey announced that he is considering retirement from acting. The producers confirmed that if and when Jim Carrey chooses to quit they would not recast his role for subsequent sequels out of respect. A spin-off based on the Sonic character Knuckles the Echidna is also being developed as a miniseries with Idris Elba returning to voice the role.