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In a recent X post, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 director Jeff Fowler commemorated his 20-year history with Shadow the Hedgehog, noting that “one of my first jobs in the VFX industry was animating this amazing character” for 2005 standalone video game Shadow the Hedgehog.
One of my first jobs in the VFX industry was animating this amazing character for his first #SEGA standalone video game. Twenty years later, I could not feel more HONORED to bring SHADOW to the big screen in #SonicMovie3 ❤️🙏🖤 pic.twitter.com/VnkLP1cPKQ
— Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) August 27, 2024
Voiced by Keanu Reeves in the upcoming movie, the bizarre failed military experiment-turned-antihero Shadow the Hedgehog is a favorite among the notoriously obsessed fans of the franchise. Even if you’re not up to the minute on the intricacies of the long-running multimedia series, you may have seen the viral clip of the rapturous applause Shadow received upon his tease at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. After food, air, water, and shelter, it seems Shadow the Hedgehog has overtaken sleep, health, and safety on the pyramid of human needs.
For Fowler—who also directed the previous two entries in the franchise—the chance to finally introduce the character to his live-action film franchise must either feel like coming home again or walking over his own grave. Before his work on the Shadow the Hedgehog video game, Fowler was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2004 short film Gopher Broke. Afterward, the animator was hired for “research and development” work on Spike Jonze’s film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, but never received the opportunity to direct a feature until 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog.
For better or worse, it seems Sonic and his supporting cast have largely defined the animator’s career up this point; this includes his work on Paramount+ spin-off series Knuckles. Where the powers that be will guide Fowler—who has long been attached to direct a live-action/CGI hybrid remake of The Pink Panther—from here remains to be seen.
The synopsis of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, as reported in Deadline: “In the third film based on the Sega video games, Sonic reunites with friends Knuckles (Idris Eba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) 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.”
The rest of the cast includes Ben Schwartz as Sonic and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, as well as James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Krysten Ritter, Cristo Fernández, Jorma Taccone, Alyla Browne, James Wolk, and Sofia Pernas.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is scheduled to release this December 20.
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