Idris Elba To Star As Knuckles In 'Sonic The Hedgehog' Spinoff Series

In 2020, Paramount Pictures debuted "Sonic the Hedgehog," a video game-based film directed by Jeff Fowler.

The action-comedy featured Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, with James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Jim Carrey rounding out the cast.

In the film, Sonic possessed superhuman speed and partnered up with small-town sheriff Tom Wachowski (Marsden) to thwart the dangerous mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Carrey), who wants to exploit Sonic's talents to control the Earth.

Following the success of the first installment, the showrunners will release a sequel this year for fans to enjoy.

More so, they have taken a step further to greenlit the production of a spinoff series from the film based on another superpowered being named Knuckles that will be introduced to fans when 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2" premieres.

In an announcement during the investor day presentation for ViacomCBS (now Paramount), the showrunners detailed their plans to enthrall fans with more works from the franchise.

One of them was to create a spinoff series based on Knuckles that will follow the same live-action format as the first installment and the upcoming sequel and will debut on the streaming service Paramount Plus.

"For more than three decades, Sonic the Hedgehog's universe of vibrant, unique characters has generated one of the most passionate fanbases," stated Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures.

"We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Sega, Neal Moritz, and all our creative partners as we explore additive ways to holistically scale the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise across platforms and captivate its loyal audience around the world."

According to the release, Idris Elba, who plays Knuckles in the upcoming sequel, will reprise his role in the series. Additionally, the show will be produced by Sega and Paramount and premiere sometime in 2023.

Fans anticipate that Elba's feature will spice up the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise. Given that Elba has honed his skill for a long time in the film industry, fans should get the best when the projects debuts.

The British actor is renowned for his previous performances on programs such as "Luther," "The Wire," and many more. The star has, in the past few years, focused more on cinema, appearing in hit films such as "Beasts of No Nation," "The Harder They Fall," and "Concrete Cowboy."

Knuckles is an anthropomorphic echidna costumed with mostly red fur as his skin, a black and sharp nose on his peach-colored face, a white patch on his chest, and purple eyes. He also has seven dreadlock-like spines on the sides and rear of his head, broad shoulders, and white boxing gloves that cover his hands.

The superpowered antagonist will feature in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" as an ally to Sonic's arch-enemy Dr. Robotnik. The evil duo chase after an emerald that can create and demolish civilizations. After getting wind of their plans, Sonic and his partner Tails set out to recover the emerald before Dr. Robotnik gets a hold of it.

The showrunners have not revealed more details about the planned spinoff series, but fans can expect to know more before the premiere date.

Apart from the upcoming sequel and the planned spinoff, Paramount has confirmed that a third Sonic film is in the works.

The proposed plans will continue the media giant's partnership with game makers Sega, which might see fans see more projects from the duo.

"We've got a remarkable partnership with Paramount, and we are excited to continue expanding the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with them," CEO Haruki Satomi said in a statement.

"Sonic the Hedgehog" will also be adapted into a new game Sonic Frontiers, a new open-world title, in addition to his film and television projects, which will be released later this year.

Meanwhile, fans will wait for the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," which debuts in theatres on April 8.