Principal photography for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has officially started, with director Jeff Fowler sharing a behind the scenes photo teasing Shadow the Hedgehog.
With the strikes now over, productions have been racing to get projects back in gear. Today, director Jeff Fowler (and subsequently Paramount Pictures) took to social media to share a behind the scenes image from the set of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This confirms principal photography is currently underway, while also offering fans a quick glimpse at Shadow the Hedgehog.
The character was teased at the end of Sonic 2, so it’s no surprise to see him featured so prominently here, though many are wondering who will voice the character on the big screen.
Perhaps most important here, is that both the director and studios are confirming the film is still slated to arrive in December 2024. With the strikes delaying so many projects, making that release date had seemed doubtful, but it looks like they’re on track.
This makes sense considering filming has technically been happening since September…just without any actors. With a large part of the film being focused on animated characters, including the major action/set pieces, it’s easy to see how they would be able to get a lot of the necessary background footage to get the VFX work started. As such, this means filming is underway for all the humans featuring in the story!
Among returning cast members are James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Natasha Rothwell. Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba are back to voice Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles respectively. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024.
