Sonic the Hedgehog 2 may not have been as big of a hit as The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The former, however, was a success, both commercially and critically, to merit not only a sequel but even a spin-off series titled Knuckles.
Fans of the video game franchise may recall this red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna debuted back in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 game as the main antagonist. Since the first introduction, Knuckles has become one of the most popular characters of the franchise. In the movie universe, Knuckles first appeared as an ally of Dr. Robotnik. Later, Robotnik betrayed Knuckles, who decided to help Sonic defeat the villain.
As it turned out, Knuckles had enough appeal for Paramount to take a risk and develop a miniseries focusing on the red echidna. The show follows Knuckles as he trains deputy sheriff Wade Wipple into becoming an Echidna warrior. It's set between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The show's development was first revealed back in June 2022 and at the time, only Idris Elba had agreed to reprise his role as the titular Knuckles.
Since then, Adam Pally has been confirmed to return as Wade Wipple with Tika Sumpter reprising her role of Maddie Wachowski. Tony Coughlan is also set to appear for two episodes as a "Welder Worker" while Tyler Antonius will play "Shadow" for four episodes. Shadow could likely refer to Shadow the Hedgehog, a character that fans of the series are surely familiar with.
Other cast members confirmed, as of writing, but no mention of how many episodes they're appearing in are:
- Rory McCann (Game of Thrones/Jumanji: The Next Level)
- Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso)
- Edi Patterson (Vice Principals/Knives Out)
- Kid Cudi
- Julian Barratt (Bloods)
Looking at the initial cast, some of you are probably wondering if James Marsden (Tom Wachowski) and Jim Carrey (Dr. Robotnik) are going to be part of this show. There's no word yet whether Marsden will join the main cast, do a cameo, or not be involved at all.
What is clear though is that the showrunners will have a hard time bringing in Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, especially after the actor announced last year that he was planning to retire from the film industry. However, if ever they do bring him to the show, it's going to be a big deal. That's because Carrey also said that he'll only return if he receives a script written in gold ink.
Knuckles is coming out sometime this year through Paramount+.
