With nearly a year gone since filming kicked off on both of them, Tika Sumpter has an exciting update for Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The former is set to act as a spinoff of the first sequel in the movie franchise adapting the iconic SEGA video games, following Idris Elba’s titular echidna as he trains Adam Pally’s hapless Green Hills Deputy Wade in the warrior ways of his kind. The latter will see the returns of Ben Schwartz, Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Sumpter, James Marsden and Lee Madjoub in their various roles.
During an interview with Screen Rant for the upcoming Prime Video sports comedy The Underdoggs, Tika Sumpter was asked for an update on the Knuckles spinoff show and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Though keeping mum on actual details for either project, humorously saying Paramount would “fire me” if she did, the franchise star confirmed that new information is coming “very soon” for both. Check out what Sumpter shared below:
I think the info is coming very soon. But you are going to be extremely happy. I think there’s a lot coming, so just you wait. That’s all I got for you. They’ll fire me! [Laughs]
When Will Knuckles News Arrive?
While no release date has ever been properly set for the show, it’s been known since Knuckles was first announced that the spinoff would serve as a bridging of the gap between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3, even having begun production before the latter sequel. There were talks at one point that the show would premiere in late 2023, though Paramount+ never officially confirmed this. It was also never properly confirmed whether filming had wrapped on the show, nor whether it was affected by the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.
Given it’s been almost a year since shooting began, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 itself entered proper principal photography in late November 2023 following the end of the strikes, it seems more than likely that Knuckles is currently in the post-production phase. With Paramount also still keeping the franchise’s next theatrical installment squarely in its December 2024 release date, it seems more than likely that the spinoff show is pushing for a mid-2024 release, if not earlier, in order to maintain the narrative continuity between the two.
As such, there are a variety of places for news regarding Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to come from Paramount. The most likely upcoming event the franchise could appear at is Super Bowl LVIII in February, especially given the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 debuted during the NFL championship game of its respective release year. With studios typically looking to utilize the event to drum up interest in their upcoming slate of projects, not only would a Knuckles trailer make sense to premiere during the game, but it would be even more interesting to see if Paramount announces a proper release date for the spinoff show along with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 footage to connect the titles together.
Knuckles
Knuckles is a spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise created for Paramount+. Idris Elba reprises his role as Knuckles the Echidna in the action-adventure series, and the show will follow him on a new adventure as he meets new allies and faces new foes.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the sequel to the 2022 comedy-adventure movie that featured the Blue Blur and his companions on an adventure to stop Dr. Robotnik from taking over the world. The new film sees the new antagonist Shadow the Hedgehog, arriving to cause trouble for the newly formed trio of heroes, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, as they adjust to their earthly lives.
