Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now in theaters, and the Sonic franchise is off to a great start with the #1 spot in the U.S. box office, earning $62 million for its opening weekend. In the film, the villains get some time to shine when Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves, teams up with Gerald Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, the grandfather of Ivo Robotnik, also played by Jim Carrey. Together, they become a big threat to the world and Team Sonic.

The third film in the series gives audiences an emotional tale of Shadow the Hedgehog, whose world is turned upside down when he is free from his prison. We also see how Ivo Robotnik wants a father figure when he meets his grandfather, who finally returns to make up for lost time.

“When talking about breaking the story, obviously, knowing we had to get Shadow right, there was definitely that feeling at some point of like, ‘Oh, we gotta make sure Sonic has enough to do in this movie,'” co-writer Josh Miller tells Nerd Reactor. “Because the Team Dark stuff was becoming so rich, just the relationship between Ivo and Gerald and where Agent Stone fits into that. That was the real fun stuff I think from a writing perspective.”

“We were also excited about getting Robotnik the short team-up between Team Dark and Team Sonic, which was a lot of fun,” co-writer Patrick Casey added. “We had almost tried to concoct reasons why Robotnik and Sonic would have to work together in Sonic 2. We knew we wanted to get to it eventually, even though some people were like, ‘How could Sonic ever work with Dr. Robotnik.’ To which we were like, ‘Well Doctor Doom would work with the Fantastic Four whenever the whole Earth is threatened.’ They save the planet and he turns right back into a giant jerk, you know?”

Major spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

At the end of the film, Shadow is seen surviving in an end credits scene. However, it looks like Dr. Robotnik meets his end when he sacrifices himself to save the world from Ivo’s plans. This raises questions as to whether we’ll see the return of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik.

“Given the ending where if he doesn’t come back, you feel satisfied, but de didn’t show his head getting chopped off,” Miller tells Nerd Reactor. “Who knows what could happen in the future.”

“We definitely knew that there was a possibility this was his last movie, and we wanted to give him a satisfying conclusion and a great send-off,” Casey said. “And I think we accomplished that. I mean, I thought he’s terrific in this movie. Ivo gets a great arc, and he’s definitely, definitely, definitely dead. Unless Jim wants to come back.

“Yeah, at some point, maybe the next one, maybe not the next one. Jim is notoriously unpredictable, so we’re not going to try and predict what Jim [is going to do.] We’re just going to sit back and watch and enjoy the ride.”

After Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Casey and Miller are working on the sequel to Violent Night, starring David Harbour (Stranger Things).

About Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Synopsis: Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.

Director Jeff Fowler returns along with our all-star cast including Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, newcomers Alyla Browne and Krysten Ritter, with Keanu Reeves joining the franchise as Shadow the Hedgehog.

Story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and screenplay by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 speeds into theaters on December 20, 2024.