The trailer for the upcoming Knuckles series aired during the Super Bowl. The upcoming Paramount+ show — debuting April 26, 2024 — marks the first spin off of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies starring James Marsden, Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz. The titular echidna debuted in 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog voiced by Idris Elba, who will reprise his role in the series.
The trailer itself debuted ahead of the Super Bowl, reportedly breaking records for Paramount+ series trailers on social. As the NFL looks to develop new audiences, Paramount is using the family-friendly Super Bowl broadcast on Nickelodeon to promote Knuckles. The broadcast will feature appearances from the series’ characters alongside Nickelodeon fan favorites.
Notably, Knuckles isn’t Idris Elba’s only foray into games. Elba also stars as Solomon Reed, the protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
The original 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film and 2022’s sequel have been highly profitable at the box office. Together, the two films combined global box office totals $725.2 million on a total estimated budget of $195 million.
Sonic’s third cinematic entry is set to release on December 20, 2024. Reportedly, Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat will join the cast.
Sonic is leading the way as Hollywood looks to games as the next big source of IP to adapt. The Knuckles series marks the first major attempt to build a gaming transmedia adaptation that spans games, film and (now) a television series. Consequently, the Knuckles series is the first major test case for other studios with ambitions to build interconnected cinematic universes based on gaming IP.
Author: Jordan Fragen
Source: Venturebeat
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
