Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has been widely hailed as the best instalment in the trilogy, though some newly revealed concept art teases a movie that's arguably even grander in scale than the one we watched in theaters last month.
There are lots of sequences showcased here that either weren't in the final cut or changed significantly. Why? It likely comes down to practical reasons like the movie's budget; however, by far the biggest talking point is what looks to be a glimpse at an alternate timeline with Eggman ruling over Earth alongside Metal Sonic.
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3's post-credits scene, we were introduced to Amy Rose and chances are we'll get to visit a version of that twisted future in the already-confirmed fourth instalment. We're also not exactly shocked that Dr. Robotnik will likely live to fight another day after his apparent demise.
Talking to Screen Rant, filmmaker Jeff Fowler teased the ramifications of the stinger which also features the franchise's title character coming face-to-face with Metal Sonic:
"I mean, usually the way these post-credit teasers work is we're so jamming on finishing the film, but at the same time, you don't want to just throw characters in there and not know what you're going to do with them. So, there's certainly, as we were winding down on Sonic 3, and as we were prepping that post-credit teaser, we absolutely have had a lot of really great creative discussions and got excited by some ideas. Because you don't want to paint yourself into a corner and put a character in there and then not know what you're going to do with it. But it's all very preliminary, and much more work needing to come in order to really get that process going."
Check out this new Sonic the Hedgehog 3 concept art in the X posts below.
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.
The story was written by Pat Casey & Josh Miller; they also penned the screenplay alongside John Whittington.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters and debuts on Digital on January 21 and on 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD on April 15.