Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is fast approaching and with Shadow set to make his long-awaited live-action debut, filmmaker Jeff Fowler tells Entertainment Weekly that the character lends the threequel a very different vibe than its predecessors.
"'Edginess' is maybe not the right word, but there was a new element tonally that just suddenly made the Sonic world feel a little bit more exciting, a little bit more dangerous," he teases. "I think that's exactly what Shadow has done for this film."
The movie won't pay lip service to the character (played by Keanu Reeves) either as Jim Carrey is set to play both Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather, Shadow's creator.
However, Fowler acknowledges that some changes were necessary, particularly when it comes to Shadow's use of guns, adding that he went to great lengths to do right by the beloved fan-favourite.
"That's the challenge of these films," the director explains. "It's always to take what has come before in terms of the video games and the comics and all that. How do we take the essence of what the fans love and merge it with this movie treatment that we created?"
"We certainly are very respectful about what fans expect to see and what they love about the character. We're also very aware of the times and the right way to handle that kind of imagery in a family film," Fowler continues. "I think we really ended in a great place. I think fans will watch this film and really appreciate Shadow and Maria."
"A lot of care and a lot of love has gone into telling Shadow's story and giving fans the best movie version of the character imaginable."
Sonic the Hedgehog ended with the introduction of Tails, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 added Shadow to the mix. According to Fowler, this third chapter will also end with another surprise debut.
"It's fun to see the fan debates online about who's coming up next, who's going to be teased at the end of the film," he says. "We have a lot of the same conversations. We've all got our favorites on the filmmaking side, and we're all making great cases for 'it should be this one or that one.' It is fun to keep that anticipation. This movie is no different in terms of teasing new characters."
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 arrives in theaters on December 20. You can see some new stills from the movie below.