Sonic the Hedgehog 2 won’t be Jim Carrey’s final film performance after all, as the actor will once again suit up to portray Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. While it looked like the egomaniacal nemesis of Sonic was out for good following the supposedly fatal fall he took in the first Sonic sequel, the film did leave a backdoor open for the actor to return.
The news of Carrey’s return comes from Variety and a new teaser on social media, hinting at Robotnik’s plans for his grand return in Sonic 3. Robotnik won’t be alone in his quest for revenge, as the threequel will see the big screen debut of Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic’s edgier–and sometimes gun-wielding–counterpart.
Previously, Carrey had hinted that he was ready to retire from acting following his performance in Sonic 2. Carrey said at the time that he’d consider making another film if the script was good enough, and he hasn’t acted in a single movie since 2022. “If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break,” Carrey said in 2022.
Producers Neal H. Moritz & Toby Ascher also confirmed that if Carrey had chosen to retire, the role would not be recast.
Sonic 3 will be racing into theaters on December 20, just in time for the festive season. Additionally, Knuckles (with voice actor Idris Elba) is getting his own spin-off TV show on Paramount+, as part of the studio’s plan to create a Sonic cinematic universe. In the video game department, Sega announced a remastered version of the 2D/3D platformer Sonic Generations, this time with extra Shadow the Hedgehog when it releases in Autumn 2024.
