A new teaser trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has confirmed Jim Carrey’s return as Dr. Robotnik.
The teaser, below, starts with Amy’s hammer breaking through a material to reveal the Chaos Emeralds. We then hear Carrey as Robotnik say: “You think your world is safe, but your time is about to run out. The chaos has only just begun.”
In the emeralds we see images of the various characters set to appear in the movie, including Ben Schwartz’s Sonic, the aforementioned Dr. Robotnik, Idris Elba’s Knuckles, Colleen O'Shaughnessey’s Tails, Keanu Reeves’ Shadow, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter as Tom and Maddie Wachowski, Kristen Bell’s Amy Rose, and Metal Sonic, who was teased at the end of Sonic 3. Fans have already picked up on the Sonic Boom reference.
Sonic 4 will also star Ben Kingsley, Nick Offerman, Richard Ayoade, and Matt Berry in currently undisclosed roles. But Carrey’s return here is of particular interest, given the legendary actor has repeatedly suggested he’s either ready to or has actually retired from acting. And then there was that whole weird Jim Carrey clone business, which went viral earlier this year.
In 2022, the 64-year-old Hollywood legend said he was considering retiring after starring in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. “Well, I’m retiring,” he said. “Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious. It depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break.”
“I really like my quiet life and I really like putting paint on canvas,” he added. “I really love my spiritual life and I feel like — and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists — I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”
Explaining his decision to return for Sonic 3, Carrey said he bought a load of stuff and simply needs the money. "I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch," Carrey said. "And, you know, it’s just… I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly."
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is currently expected to zip into theaters on March 19, 2027. There's a Sonic spinoff movie coming as well in 2028, and fans are speculating it will star Shadow the Hedgehog.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
