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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now in theaters, and the biggest new addition to the cast is Keanu Reeves in the role of Shadow the Hedgehog. Director Jeff Fowler has now discussed what he wanted from Reeves when he was cast in the part and how Reeves ended up nailing it.
Speaking to Deadline, Fowler said Sonic 3’s story changed the tone of the film series to become a little more mysterious with the introduction of Shadow. Whereas Sonic, played by Ben Schwartz, is a “motormouth” who is full of “manic energy,” Shadow is the total opposite.
“Sonic is saying 100 words a minute while Shadow might say five words in an hour. He’s a much more closed book, more mysterious, brooding. It’s this kind of yin and yang with Shadow and Sonic. There’s a really great opportunity, narratively, to have an almost bizarro version of that Sonic origin story,” Fowler said.
Fowler commended Reeves for his ability to “channel that complexity and a little bit of that danger and darkness” that comes with Shadow while also being likable. Many might agree that Reeves has lived up to that billing in his other projects, and Fowler agreed as well.
“He’s just a very likable actor. That’s what we needed for Shadow–that complexity, that intrigue and something to just make him feel very different from Sonic. Keanu was absolutely perfect in that regard,” Fowler said.
Also in the interview, Fowler reflected on how far the Sonic film series has come since the movie’s first trailer in 2019. As many may recall, there was a backlash to the original Sonic movie design, and due to this, the team went back and created a much-different-looking version of Sonic. It was a shocking and unexpected move to make for a major film, but Fowler said it all paid off in the end.
“Every movie is going to face challenges and obviously we had some very public ones with the redesign, but all that stuff has just become part of our story,” he said. “And it’s something that I sort of champion. We now have this amazing relationship with our fans. They obviously voiced some opinions, and those opinions were heard and addressed. It’s now just become part of this great relationship with them.”
Sonic 3 is in theaters now, and while it’s still early days, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has already been announced and is coming to theaters in 2027.
