Shadow and Sonic the Hedgehog from the most recent film
By
Cooper Hood
Published 1 minute ago
Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.
He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.
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The Sonic the Hedgehog universe is expanding once again, but what exactly is the mystery event movie that's on the horizon in 2028? Following the success of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Paramount has decided to double down on the franchise. Not only are we getting Sonic the Hedgehog 4 in 2027, but a mystery Sonic spinoff movie is now dated for December 22, 2028.
There are no further details about the specific story that will unfold in the fifth movie in Sonic's franchise. Not even an official title is known, with it just on the studio's slate as a Sonic Universe Event Film. That leaves lots of room for speculation and theories about what could come next. And with producers teasing Sonic movies being Avengers-level events, there are some big possibilities for this new 2028 movie.
Shadow x Sonic The Hedgehog
Shadow in his Super Shadow form in Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The most likely answer to what mystery Sonic Universe movie is coming in 2028 is some title involving Shadow the Hedgehog. After Keanu Reeves made his debut as the black and red speedster in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the odds of Paramount one day giving him a standalone feature appeared high.
The 2028 Sonic movie could be as simple as that. A Shadow spinoff where he's the centerpiece character, introducing a new host of supporting characters as part of his adventure - such as the long-awaited debut of Rouge the Bat.
Having Shadow headline his own movie would be huge, but would that alone be enough for the "event film" label to be earned? This 2028 release may need to go bigger than just the black hedgehog.
Perhaps this could be the place where Sonic and Shadow rejoin forces, taking on a major threat, such as Black Doom. That would certainly be a major event movie, one that would bring together the franchise's biggest characters to face off against a villain who could be the universe's long-term replacement to Robotnik.
Sonic Generations
SEGA
I could also see the 2028 Sonic movie being an event film that loosely adapts Sonic Generations. The 2011 video game saw Sonic and Tails encounter their younger selves in a time-bending story where Eggman attempts to rewrite history and his many defeats.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 may already be dealing with time-travel, based on theories about Sonic and Amy Rose's encounter in Sonic 3. After potentially messing with time to return to his rightful place in time, it'd make sense for the franchise to go a step further and introduce an entity like the Time Eater.
Having Sonic Generations be the next stage in the universe's plan not only works with building on where things are, but it also provides some event-level opportunities with its story. Audiences would get double the amount of Sonics, as his current and younger selves team up, and the same could happen for all the other franchise heroes and villains.
The time-jumping storyline would allow 2028's Sonic movie to revisit everything that's been done in the franchise before, making it a fun reflection on the gigantic success Paramount has found with Sega's beloved Blue Blur.
Sonic Frontiers
Sonic Frontiers promo art featuring the titular hedgehog grinding on a rail.
The Sonic franchise could also switch things up a bit by looking at a more recent game and using Sonic Frontiers as the basis for the 2028 event movie. Although only released in 2022, the game modernized the franchise with some great gameplay, ideas, and characters.
Seeing Sonic and his friends venture into the digital world of Cyber Space and encounter the entity known as The End would be unlike what the films have done before. And with the introduction of Sage and the threat of global destruction by the end, it certainly fits the bill as the type of event story that could support a live-action movie.
This could make a lot of sense for the franchise, depending on the answer to where Shadow ended up at the end of Sonic 3. The game only features Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose as the heroes, and that could be the makeup of Team Sonic's roster by the time Sonic 4 ends.
After taking on Metal Sonic in that film, continuing the technological villain train with an artificial intelligence like Sage would be a good way to go.
Sonic & The Flames Of Disaster
Sonic Silver and Shadow in Sonic 06
Looking at what else the Sonic universe could do next, an adaptation of 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog where Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are main characters as Eggman's attempt to harness the power of the Flames of Disaster goes awry, unleashing the deadly being known as Mephiles.
Notably, the Sonic franchise has already set up the Flames of Disaster through Knuckles' spinoff show. Since it doesn't appear that Sonic 4 will pay off this tease, the event film would be the next best option. The time-twisting story involving Silver would even be an alternative way to build on any time travel elements included in Sonic 4.
There's an epic quality to the video game story, and while some elements may need to be changed for the big screen (as Shadow wouldn't still be aligned with Robotnik - if he's brought back to life), the overall idea here is compelling. This would be a great way to expand the universe more and give audiences the type of Avengers-level movies that have been promised.
Only time will tell what 2028's Sonic the Hedgehog movie is, but hopefully its one of these four options. If the event film nature is a bit overblown, anything from spinoffs for Shadow or Amy Rose to a simple Sonic 5 could also be what audiences get in three years.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Movie(s)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996), Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
First Film
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996)
TV Show(s)
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Underground (1999), Sonic X (2003), Sonic Boom (2014), Sonic Prime (2022), Knuckles (2024)
Video Game(s)
Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World, Sonic Forces, Sonic Frontiers , Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Advance 1, Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Character(s)
Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Dr. Eggman, Mighty the Armadillo, Ray the Squirrel, Vector the Crocodile, Charmy the Bee, Espio the Chameleon, Shadow the Hedgehog, Big the Cat, Rouge the Bat, Metal Sonic
Comic Release Date
229797,248991,248992
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Sonic the Hedgehog
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