Summary
- Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog’s frenemy, is getting his own spinoff series on Paramount+. It will take place in the same universe as the Sonic movies and will feature Knuckles as the main character.
- The story of the series will focus on Knuckles teaching Tom Wachowski’s colleague, Wade Whipple, how to become an echidna warrior. The show will have a comedic twist and is expected to be a self-contained miniseries.
- The series will also feature the return of characters like Maddie and will introduce several elements that may tie into Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog’s frenemy, is set to launch his own spinoff series on Paramount+. Following the success of the blue blur’s two movies and the upcoming third entry, audiences can now expect more content on the way. This sets a new era for the Sonic franchise, with its latest video game, Sonic Frontiers, garnering rave reviews, and Sonic Prime, a Netflix series, wrapping up on Netflix after a total of 23 episodes.
This time, it’s Knuckles’ turn to shine. The red echidna will expand Sonic’s universe with a streaming show, setting the stage for the upcoming third film, which is set to premiere in December 2024. Here are some insights into what has been confirmed so far about Knuckles and what audiences can expect to see in terms of the story.
Updated Feb. 11, 2024: This article has been updated with additional information following the release of the Knuckles TV show trailer.
Knuckles: The Series Cast and Trailer
Knuckles is connected to the Sonic movie universe. Hence, it is set after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but before the events of the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Like the films, it’ll take place in the rural town of Green Hills, Montana, the primary setting for the first two films. Idris Elba stars as Knuckles once more. His main co-star will be Adam Pally, also returning as deputy Wade Whipple, Tom Wachowski’s goofy colleague in the local police force.
Another returning character is Maddie, who is played by Tika Sumpter. She is Tom Wachowski’s wife and Sonic’s friend, who helps him defeat Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik in the first two films.
The story is set to pair Knuckles and Wade together, as the former shows the latter how to become an echidna warrior. Logically, the show will take a comedic twist, just like the movies did, and it’s supposed to be a miniseries, so it might be self-contained. Yet, as usually happens with popular franchises, high viewership can translate into an additional batch of episodes. 6 episodes total have been confirmed so far.
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Other actors and actresses have been confirmed in the series with undisclosed roles. Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones, Knives Out) is set to have a lead part in the story. Other prominent names attached include Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh, Killing Eve), Kid Cudi (Don’t Look Up, X), Rory McCann (Game of Thrones, Jumanji: The Next Level), and Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso, Brotherhood). In addition, Jeff Fowler, the director of the films, will be producing the series in addition to directing the first episode.
Those who want a cameo from Sonic and Tails will be happy to know that the two will appear in a limited capacity, voiced once again by Ben Schwartz and Colleen O’Shaughnessey respectively. Interestingly, the trailer also teased a brief snippet involving Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer as color commentators on ESPN8 The Ocho, adding to the series’ comedic focus.
Knuckles: What We Expect to See
The red echidna has been an essential character in the Sonic universe since Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a Sega Genesis video game released in 1994. He was originally an antagonist deceived by Dr. Robotnik to go after Sonic, before the duo team up to take down the dastardly villain. If you’ll recall, the second Sonic film already covered this plotline. This means that the starting point for the series finds Knuckles and Sonic as allies.
Despite this, it would be a good opportunity to explore Knuckles’ past. In the first movie, one of the first scenes mentioned Sonic and his parental figure, Longclaw the owl, being chased by the echidna tribe. Clarifications are in order on Knuckles’ origins, and part of the plot should definitely revolve around his old life, how his society worked, and why they were going after Sonic in the first place (probably a Chaos Emerald-related issue). The “echidna warrior” premise clearly hints at a possible tie-in with the echidna tribe.
With a silly sidekick like Wade Whipple, another plot line that the series will probably pick up is Knuckles’ adjustment to planet Earth. Again, the comedic potential is high. Knuckles and Wade are practically polar opposites, and their unique ways of life are certain to clash. This is evident throughout the trailer, with Wade’s laid-back disposition providing a fun foil for Knuckles’ stoic nature.
As for the series’ central conflict, a new character has seemingly emerged. While Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic’s doppelgänger rival, may have been teased during a post-credit sequence in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, there’s no official confirmation of his role in the series, nor any mention of a cameo appearance. The main villain this time around will be a new character, portrayed by Rory McCann, whose desire to obtain Knuckles’ power forces him to enlist two underlings played by Kid Cudi and Ellie Taylor.
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Knuckles will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ on April 26, with all 6 episodes dropping simultaneously. As new details surface, speculation will continue to grow until the series finally debuts. This could very well be the start of Sonic’s cinematic universe.
Stream Knuckles on Paramount+
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