During the Paramount Pictures panel at this year’s CinemaCon, the studio treated attendees to the first footage of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, revealing that the titular speedster will be teaming up with an unexpected ally. The next installment to the blockbuster action-adventure franchise will arrive in theaters on March 19, 2027.

Per Collider, Sonic the Hedgehog 4’s CinemaCon footage was only brief, offering fans their first look at the return of Jim Carrey as the villainous Dr. Robotnik. Sonic and his colorful team of superpowered hedgehogs were also featured in the video, teasing their unlikely alliance with Robotnik, who is now seemingly leading them in a mission to save the world — a surprising turn of events for the fan-favorite villain who was the main antagonist in the first three installments.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is directed by Jeff Fowler, with Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara serving as producers. It is based on Sega’s iconic video game franchise. The fourth installment will also feature the returning cast members Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles, Keanu Reeves as Shadow, James Marsden as Tom, Tika Sumpter as Maddie, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails, and Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone. Further details about the plot are still being kept under wraps. The new sequel will also introduce new characters played by Kristen Bell, Ben Kingsley, Matt Berry, Nick Offerman, and Richard Ayoade.

At the moment, the next Sonic movie has no direct competition at the box office. However, it will be debuting in the same month as other high-profile movies like Michael B. Jordan’s The Thomas Crown Affair, Disney’s Gatto, Scarlett Johansson’s The Exorcist: Deceiver, Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, and Mel Gibson’s The Resurrection of the Christ.

(Source: Collider)

Originally reported by Maggie Dela Paz for ComingSoon.