Speed isn’t the only thing going for the holiday season in 2028, as a dose of half-shelled action will be served on the side. Paramount has added two new films to its slate for the year: a Sonic universe feature set for 22 December, and an untitled hybrid live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles instalment attached to 17 November.
Details on both projects are kept under lock and key, but producer Neal H. Moritz, the brains behind the successful Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, is also leading the latter adventure. The update comes after the studio announced a new family-friendly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie last month, marking the first live-action entry in the franchise since 2016’s Out of the Shadows. Toby Ascher, who works with Moritz at the Original Films banner, will serve as producer.
As for Sega’s iconic blue blur, the upcoming film is separate from Sonic the Hedgehog 4, slated for release on 19 March 2027. Although story specifics remain under wraps, franchise director Jeff Fowler teased fans with an idea of what the future holds for Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, the two new characters introduced during the mid-credits scene of the threequel.
“We actually had the idea pretty early, during storyboarding,” said the filmmaker. “[We wanted] to honour how they were both introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. So it felt very cool to honour that chronology and have them simultaneously introduced.
“We never want to feel like we’re making the same movie. It’s always got to take us into new territory tonally, and offer up something new, and give people a reason that they have to get out and see it,” he added, explaining the team’s goals to ensure that both characters brought their own unique flavours to the upcoming movie, while still keeping in line with the movies’ themes.
It comes as no surprise that Paramount is banking big on speedster — the first three films collectively surpassed US$1 billion at the global box office, with the Knuckles spin-off, which shifts the focus onto the titular echinda, making history as the most-watched kids and family original series on Paramount+.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
