Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe

"Making sure we weave some of those elements into the film seemed like, just a great place to start, so that fans old and new will sort of see that we've really made every effort to kind of take the things that they love from the game and bring them into sort of a cinematic universe."

―Jeff Fowler^[src]

The Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe, or the Sonic Cinematic Universe (SCU) for short, is the official title given to the universe featured in the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog and its later installments.

Developed by Paramount Pictures and Sega Corporation, the media franchise serves as an adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, sharing many of the same locations, characters and other concepts in a more contemporary and realistic setting.

Other than theatrical films, the universe offers tie-in comics, short films and official novelizations, some of which canonical, in addition to television series for streaming as of the Knuckles miniseries in 2024.

Movies

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2027) (unreleased/development)

Television

Paramount+ Series

1. Knuckles
   • Season One (2024)

Short Films

1. Around the World in 80 Seconds (2020)
2. Sonic Drone Home (2022)
3. A Very Sonic Christmas (2024)

Documentaries

1. Thrills & Quills: The Making of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Comics

1. Sonic the Hedgehog: The Adventures of Sonic & Donut Lord (2020)
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill (2022)
3. Sonic X Shadow TOKYO MISSION: Episode 0 (2024)

Books

1. Sonic the Hedgehog: The Official Movie Novelization (2020)
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Novelization (2022)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3: The Official Movie Novelization (2024)

Trivia

For trivia including statistical information and Sonic the Hedgehog collaborations, see Extended Trivia.

• In a USA Today interview, Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler first used the name "Sonic Cinematic Universe."
• Paul Scheer abbreviated the Sonic Cinematic Universe as "SCU" when talking about his appearance in the Knuckles television series.
• Via Eurogamer, it was reported that producer Toby Ascher had implied in production notes that a "Sonic Cinematic Universe" is in creation with more beloved characters set to appear.
  • Such characters are usually teased in a post- or mid-credits scene, setting up their larger role in a future (usually the next) installment.
  • The appearances of these characters are incoherent with when they appear in the video game series, as is apparent with the introductions of Shadow the Hedgehog, Gerald Robotnik and Maria Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 after Tails and Knuckles' in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It has been said by Fowler that there is no intention to strictly follow the chronology of the games.
• Shortly before the release of Knuckles, Ascher said that television series could serve as "character studies" preceding a film's release. He compared the movie side of the SCU to Avengers-level events, containing "big and exciting" stories that feature many characters.
  • Much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its assortment of television series, Ascher further added that future seasons of Knuckles or another television show focused on a different topic or character would likely be worked on if everything (including the story) went well.
• Paramount Pictures distributes the films ever since they acquired the film rights in turnaround with Sony Pictures.
  • The Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe was planned to be a film series since Sony developed the first film. Instead of every two years, one film would've released every single year.
• Following the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe is the second video game film series to have a third film connected to the first two after the Resident Evil film series.
• Despite its naming, the Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe does not qualify to the general definition of the term "cinematic universe;" A cinematic universe is a film or television franchise consisting of multiple sub-franchises distinct to another. For example, the media centered around the character Thor are part of the Thor film franchise, which, in turn, is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because other SCU media (comics and spin-offs like Sonic Drone Home, Knuckles) all derive from the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, the SCU is moreso a film franchise, like the Star Wars and Jurassic Park franchises, than a cinematic universe.

External Links

• Sonic the Hedgehog (film series) on Wikipedia
• Sonic the Hedgehog (film series) on Sonic Wiki Zone