Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, whose recent works include The Naked Gun, originally had Jar Jar Binks in mind for the spot that was finally filled by Ugly Sonic.

“Oh, I love Ugly Sonic,” Mand tells Nerd Reactor. “We’ve always been fans of his. We don’t even really recognize a pretty Sonic, as we call him. Look, it just fit in with the world. We were part of the conceit of Rescue Rangers, where cartoons could get plastic surgery. They could make themselves look different.”

The writers originally had Jar Jar Binks in mind for that spot, giving him a Shakespearean, Michael Cain, and Ian McKellen kind of feel.

“The idea of cast-off actors where their careers had burnt out, that was it for a long time,” Mand added. “And then it eventually it worked its way even through animatics, where it was still Jar Jar Binks. Eventually, I think Kathleen Kennedy was like, ‘Fuck no! Get this out of the fucking movie.’ And we were like, ‘Okay.'” And so then we went back to the drawing board and tried to think of other characters that had disgraced themselves in the public eye. And Sonic was just enough in the rearview mirror that it worked out perfectly. He couldn’t be happier.”

Watch the full interview below:

The Naked Gun is now in theaters, and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is available on Disney+.

The post Jar Jar Binks Was Almost in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers Until Lucasfilm Said ‘F*** No’ appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

“We just sort of tried to get in touch with our inner child, which is convenient because we’re adult children,” Dan Gregor replied to Nerd Reactor about the humor including fart jokes. “The joy of getting to play in this space is that jokes can be really silly, really ridiculous. Everything is sort of available. And, you know, we didn’t want to censor ourselves in any way.”

Snowman Sequence

One of the highlights in the film was the snowman sequence, and it is sure to be a hit with audiences this weekend. It involves a love triangle between Liam Neeson’s Frank Drebin Jr. and Pamela Anderson’s Beth Davenport in a remote cabin.

“There was nothing too far,” Doug Mand said of the Snowman sequence. “I mean, like we definitely had more stuff like them becoming a family, serving like waffles and teaching the snowman how to read.”

“We actually made it more PG that we eventually ended up cutting that,” Gregor added. “But that was the sort of process of creating that started very much from honestly being obsessed with the original Naked Gun, where they have one of the most iconically hilarious love montages of all time. The scene where they’re about to make love, wearing full-body condoms, is genuinely one of the best physical prop gags of all time.”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Another hilarious gag is Neeson as Drebin and his love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“The Buffy run where he’s talking about [Beth] accidentally deleting his Buffy episodes is a case in point where we’re just asking ourselves this basic assignment of like, ‘What’s the stupidest thing that doesn’t belong in Liam Neeson’s mouth?'” Gregor explained. “And so it was like, ‘Yeah, I want to hear Liam Neeson talk about being a super fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“I would say that Liam was game for everything,” Mand said. “So it maybe felt like it was like, ‘This guy didn’t want to do anything.’ It almost feels weird to see this very serious actor do it. But Liam, the person, could not have been more game and more of a joy in this movie.”

How Ugly Sonic Replaced Jar Jar Binks

Gregor and Mand have worked with Schaffer on a previous comedy, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. The live-action animated film featured the return of Ugly Sonic, the initial version of Sonic that was hated by the internet when the first Sonic the Hedgehog teaser was released.

“Oh, I love Ugly Sonic,” Mand exclaimed with joy. “We’ve always been fans of his. We don’t even really recognize a pretty Sonic, as we call him. Look, it just fit in with the world. We were part of the conceit of Rescue Rangers, where cartoons could get plastic surgery. They could make themselves look different.”

The writers originally had Jar Jar Binks in mind for that spot, giving him a Shakespearean, Michael Cain, and Ian McKellen kind of feel.

“The idea of cast-off actors where their careers had burnt out, and that was it for a long time,” Mand added. “And then it eventually it worked its way even through animatics, where it was still Jar Jar Binks. Eventually, I think Kathleen Kennedy was like, ‘F*** no! Get this out of the f***ing movie.’ And we were like, ‘Okay.'” And so then we went back to the drawing board and tried to think of other characters that had disgraced themselves in the public eye. And Sonic was just enough in the rearview mirror that it worked out perfectly. He couldn’t be happier.”

The Naked Gun was released in theaters on August 1, 2025.

The post The Naked Gun Writers on Fart Jokes, Snowman Romance, Liam Neeson’s Buffy Obsession and Ugly Sonic appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The interview is no longer available on the site, but this was the quote:

“During COVID, audiences have been in love and are thrilled to have beloved characters brought back with new stories,” said Morgan Creek.” Ace Ventura will see a new day at Amazon as a major motion-picture/theatrical with the Sonic the Hedgehog writers.”

However, during a recent interview with Casey and Miller during the promotion of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the duo said that the Ace Ventura 3 project is “not really a thing.”

“That’s a classic press reporting on a thing that was like a kernel of a reality,” Miller tells Nerd Reactor. “I think the truth is, Jim normally doesn’t like doing sequels, so we felt very honored that he’s done three Sonic movies. Yeah. I mean, Ace was a thing that was discussed, and I think the studios really want it to happen. If Jim ever wanted to do it, they’d, you know, bend over backward to make it happen. But, yeah. At the moment, that’s not really a thing.”

You can watch the full video interview below as Casey and Miller talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and whether audiences will get to see Jim Carrey reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

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.

Featured image courtesy of Morgan Creek Productions.

The post Ace Ventura 3 ‘Not Really a Thing’ Says Purported Writers appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

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.

The post Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Writers on Whether Jim Carrey Will Return for More Sonic Adventures appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Helming the project is Jeff Fowler, who never believed in the news that Carrey was retired from acting.

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, which is, I never really believed that he was truly retired,” Fowler tells Nerd Reactor. “He loves playing Robotnik. He has so much fun with the character. And then once we teased this idea of playing two characters and getting to create an entirely new Robotnik character, a grandfather character that would help build out the Robotnik family tree, it was such a fun idea. I mean, Jim just immediately had 1000 ideas about how to go about it. It was magic, and he made it look easy. I’m so excited for audiences to see it.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the previous films are filled with fun references and Easter eggs. This includes the Akira slide done by Shadow on his bike and the Chao Garden, which you can see in the trailer and promotional materials. Fowler has a warm spot for inserting surprises and treats for fans.

“We love Easter eggs,” the director said. “They come in all sizes. There are big ones, like the Chao Garden you mentioned, which I think we were really all excited about once we landed on the idea. There are so many options when it comes to the games and the things you can reference, but Chao being in Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, just being such fun characters. And it’s like, how are we going to work these into a movie? And then to realize, ‘Hey, we’re in Tokyo. We could absolutely have a little themed cafe or restaurant.’ There’s so much in the culture, so much celebration for anime and animated characters. It was totally believable that there could be a Chao Garden Cafe. And it was so much fun to design, to build as a set. The set decorators just had so much fun with the idea. And, yeah, it was so fun to reveal in the trailers that we had done that, and it was great to see the fan reaction.”

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.

The post Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Director on Jim Carrey: ‘I Never Really Believed that He Was Truly Retired’ appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Schwartz has been playing Sonic for three movies, and he’s become very comfortable in the role of the blue hedgehog. In the third movie, he gets to convey more emotions portraying Sonic.

“I think doing these movies really gets you in the zone,” Schwartz tells Nerd Reactor. “I know exactly how Sonic would talk, how he would act with something, how would he react, how he’d improvise in the moment. I think one of the fun things about this movie is we tap into different emotions of Sonic. There are some moments with real anger, and him imparting wisdom, as opposed to, oftentimes, he’s one getting them from Tom. So I think it’s like watching him grow up a bit, but also being like the same goofy, fun Sonic.”

Schwartz’s stardom has grown bigger thanks to Sonic with fans bringing in toys and items for him to sign. It’s a world that he’s excited to be a part of.

“It’s crazy,” the actor exclaimed. “It’s It’s amazing. The biggest thing in terms of craziness is I’ll do an improv show, and every now and then there’ll be someone, like an autographed person asking for me to sign a Jean-Ralphio picture, like someone from the After Party. But ever since Sonic, so many people have toys and posters, and all of a sudden it becomes a whole different level of signing and pictures and stuff like that. But the most exciting thing of all, and it’s hard for me to even realize it, like we just had this huge premiere, it’s hard for me to connect that I really play Sonic sometimes. I’ll go to a theater and I’ll see people react, and I realize it is my voice that’s making them laugh or cry or feeling so pumped. I love that I get to be part of this. I love that I leave voice notes for kids, and watch them freak out and get so excited. It makes me feel like I’m in something way bigger than myself. And it’s, it’s beyond exciting.”

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.

The post Ben Schwartz Talks Sonic’s Growth in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out the parody posters of Home Alone, Love Actually, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Scrooged below:

Elf and The Grinch:

The Nightmare Before Christmas, A Christmas Story, and Four Christmases.

In addition, Paramount is hosting a giveaway for the Ugly Sonic Holiday Sweater. which you can enter at https://12hoursofsonic3giveaway.com/.

About Sonic the Hedgehog 3

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

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.

The post Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Parodies Popular Christmas Movie Posters Including Home Alone appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The new trailer was released today, and we get to see two Doctor Eggmen. Both grandfather and grandson are played by Jim Carrey.

Paramount Pictures is giving fans the chance to watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at an opening-day movie event. It will be held on Thursday, December 19th at 3 p.m. local time. It will be screened in premium formats including Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Dbox, ScreenX, and others across the nation.

You can get tickets at www.sonicthehedgehogmovie.com/seeitfirst. The Fan Event will have behind-the-scenes content prior to the movie. Fans will be able to get limited-edition gifts including one of four different limited-edition character keychains and an exclusive 12″x18″ collector’s art print while supplies last.

Recently, Jelly Roll released a new single for the film called “Run It.”

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 to helm the film from a script by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington from a story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller.

The film stars 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.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 comes out in theaters on December 20, 2024.

The post Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s Second Trailer Features Chao and Pokemon Reference appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

“Run It’ was co-written by Jelly Roll, OneRepublic’s frontman Ryan Tedder, David Guetta and songwriter Sean Cook. Additionally, Tedder, Guetta, and Cook co-produced the track. This marks the first time Jelly Roll worked with Tedder and Guetta.

The song blends country, hip-hop, pop and electronic and features acoustic guitar, handclaps, cowbell sounds with a drop that will have listeners grooving to the beat.

The official music video will premiere soon.

Jelly Roll is touring for Beautifully Broken, which you can check out the list below:

• 11/22/2024 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
• 11/23/2024 – Jacksonville, FL – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
• 11/26/2024 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

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 to helm the film from a script by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington from a story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller.

The film stars 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.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 comes out in theaters on December 20, 2024.

The post Jelly Roll Teams Up with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for ‘Run It’ Single appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The poster features the main characters in the top half including Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Dr Robotnik, Shadow and Gerald Robotnik (Dr. Robotnik’s grandfather). The bottom half features Sonic and Shadow racing, with the latter on a motorcycle.

Tickets for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will go on sale on November 25, 2024. The film will be released in theaters on December 20, 2024.

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 to helm the film from a script by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington from a story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller.

The film stars 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.

The post Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s New Poster Shows Off Shadow, Sonic and Dr. Robotnik’s Grandfather appeared first on Nerd Reactor.