‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Director Jeff Fowler on Casting Keanu Reeves as Shadow, Bringing Back Jim Carrey and What’s Next for the Franchise

variety.com:

Brent Lang Executive Editor Jeff Fowler has directed all three “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, but his association with the video game franchise pre-dates the spikey haired speedster’s big screen debut.

Like any self-respecting child of the 1990’s, he grew up playing “Sonic.” “I loved his attitude and that swagger that he had,” Fowler says. “It was impossible not to fall in love with the guy.” That interest led to an early gig working on the 2005 video game “Shadow the Hedgehog,” a third-person shooter spinoff that focused on a black hedgehog who exists as a darker, moodier, yin to Sonic’s yang. “Whereas Sonic is this motor-mouthed kid who is excited and joyous and optimistic, Shadow is the other side to the coin,” Fowler says. “He’s been through some real hardships and that’s caused his life to spin out in this radically different direction.” Things are coming full circle with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which hit theaters this weekend, where it is dominating the box office and outracing Disney’s “Mufasa.” It also serves as Shadow’s introduction to the SCU (Sonic Cinematic Universe).

And Fowler could think of no one better to bring Shadow to life than Keanu Reeves, best known for serving up cinematic justice in the “John Wick” films, who voices the hard-charging hedgehog in the sequel. “There are obvious parallels between John Wick and Shadow,” Fowler admits. “But Keanu has always played complex, brooding characters with a real edge to them.

He was the perfect fit.” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” also brings back Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the mad scientist who served as the primary antagonist in the two previous films.