After months of waiting, the Sonic 3 trailer is here with the first look at Keanu Reeves' Shadow the Hedgehog – and an unlikely Robotnik team-up

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After months of waiting, the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has sped into sight – and offers up a first official look at Keanu Reeves' Shadow.

The Sonic 3 trailer sees the Blue Blur spring into action once more as 'Project Shadow' emerges, with the voiceover teasing the tragic history of the black-and-red Shadow the Hedgehog (including a quick shot of Maria, who will be familiar to game fans).

Shadow's power is so great, however, that it leads Sonic to do the unthinkable: team up with Jim Carrey's Robotnik to take down Keanu Reeves' villain.

Previously, producer Toby Ascher teased the upcoming threequel in an interview with GamesRadar+, calling it "probably the most exciting thing we've done in the franchise."

Ascher continued, "It’s going to be this giant, fun, incredible movie that obviously takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2 and some of the games that I know the core Sonic Team grew up loving."

Sonic Adventure 2, for those unfamiliar with one of the Blue Blur's greatest adventures, was a 2001 Dreamcast title that introduced the world to the Ultimate Lifeform, AKA Shadow the Hedgehog.

While there's been radio silence on Reeves' casting as Shadow since it was reported – including Knuckles actor Idris Elba being suitably guarded when pressed on the subject – a Sonic 3 poster at the License Expo in Las Vegas provided the briefest of glimpses at his character model.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3, starring Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Lee Majdoub, is set to race into cinemas on December 20, 2024.

The first two Sonic movies, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively, have grossed a total of almost $720 million at the worldwide box office.

For more, check out some of the other upcoming video game movies and movie release dates coming your way very soon.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.