Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Director Explains Why Only Certain New Characters Appear In New Film

“More is always better.” It’s a phrase that has defined many people’s lives, even if it really shouldn’t. After all, excess is one of the biggest problems in our world, yet we always seem to want more of just about anything and everything we can get our hands on or somehow partake in. That also applies to things like video games and movies. We want the best video games possible and to enjoy them for as long as possible, and when movies adapt video games, like with the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 3, we want to see as many great characters from the games in those adaptations.

However, as Director Jeff Fowler knows, if you throw in too many characters into a new film, you run the risk of overcrowding the screen, which will lead to all manner of problems from a story standpoint. Jeff Fowler noted this issue in a chat with ComicBook.com, stating:

“I think we were all very focused on Shadow. When you have a cast that’s already of this size, there’s four CG characters in this movie, you want to be careful and not throw too many in the mix. (Shadow’s) backstory is so important that we get that right. But those elements are within the Sonic movie. So it really has to be balanced. Everything, story-wise, needs to be in proper proportion. And then also adding Gerald (Robotnik), obviously, into the mix. So very quickly, your screen real estate shrinks, as you bring in these interesting characters and you want to do interesting things with them and give great story arcs.”

Some of those arcs include Shadow learning about Sonic and the others while also planning to get his revenge for what G.U.N. did to Maria. Then, there’s Gerald Robotnik, who reconnects with his grandson and asks him to help him get his revenge as well, while also enjoying time with his “long-lost” family member.

While it’s fair that people want more characters in each production, it’s important to note that Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is following the example of the first two films. Sonic is alone in the first movie, with Dr. Eggman as the only character to have a meaningful role alongside him. Then, the sequel brought both Knuckles and Tails into the mix. Now, we have Shadow and Gerald. We also know that there will be teases for future characters within the film, and that means that should another film be greenlit, more characters and stories are coming.