Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves Tease Sonic Spinoff Series

Knuckles and Shadow may be the title of the next Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff series, if Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves get their way.

The duo, who appear as Knuckles and Shadow respectively in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, commented on the likelihood of their characters teaming up in their own special project.

“I’m telling you…” Elba said to ComicBook when the outlet proposed a team-up called Shadow and Knuckles, nodding along with the idea. Reeves then added, “No, Knuckles and Shadow,” before Idris joked back, “Shadow Knuckles sounds like a band.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 marks Reeves’ debut as Shadow, the black-furred anti-hero who can give Sonic a run for his money. Like Knuckles, he’s introduced as an antagonist, but he’s also been part of the core Sonic stable ever since his first video game appearance in 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2, so he won’t stay bad for long.

Elba will be familiar with spinoffs. After making his introduction in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the actor starred in six episodes of Paramount+ series Knuckles, in which the super-strength echidna trains an ordinary man to win a bowling tournament, all while being pursued by a former agent of Dr. Robotnik.

While Elba and Reeves were clearly being light-hearted in their response, there’s definite demand for more live-action Sonic, whether in film or series form. 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grossed over $400 million at the global box office, with its 2020 predecessor earning $320 million.

That means the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on December 20th could well turn this into a billion-dollar franchise.