Jim Carrey's Return Confirmed For Sonic the Hedgehog 3 With CinemaCon Teaser

In spite of a quasi-retirement from acting and the public eye, award-winning actor Jim Carrey will return to reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik in the third installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise. Carrey, who first floated retirement as an option during the press tour for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, was not on hand at CinemaCon, where the studio made the announcement. Fans had expected to see Carrey back in the role, so it isn't necessarily a huge surprise, but given the lack of clarity from Paramount before now -- and Carrey's own ambivalence returning to the screen -- it's nice to have confirmation.

Dr. Robotnik showed up in a very brief teaser video for the film at CinemaCon, where ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis is in attendance. In the clip, Dr. Robotnik is in the lap, and looking much heavier than the last time we saw him. He jokes about binging on carbohydrates, and...well, that's basically it. We're getting a bit more of an egg-shaped Eggman. This actually tracks with a 2022 interview Carrey gave to ComicBook.com, in which he said he wanted to see "Fat Eggman" show up onscreen.

"I honestly have been lobbying for the fat Eggman -- the big Eggman thing -- for a while, but apparently they wanted to show the audience how imperfect my actual body is," Carrey joked.

What Is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 About?

Plot details surrounding Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are currently unknown, other than that the film is expected to fully introduce the fan-favorite antihero Shadow the Hedgehog. Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Tika Sumpter will all return, as well as James Marsden, Lee Majdoub, Tom Butler, and Jim Carrey as Robotnik. Krysten Ritter and Alya Browne have joined the cast in currently-unknown roles.

"I don't know anything about it. I know Jim Carrey said that he might retire," Schwartz previously told ComicBook.com about Sonic the Hedgehog 3. "I hope that we all get to come back and do another one because I would love it," Schwartz explained. "That's one of my favorite characters, so my hope of all hopes is that all of us come back and we get to make another one, and then we get to add a Shadow. I hope that it keeps going. I hope that I keep doing it because I love that. I love that franchise so much."

Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to arrive in theaters on December 20.