Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ended with a post-credits scene featuring Amy Rose, Sonic's ally and love interest, but she doesn't speak during that brief screen time. That's because they hadn't cast her yet, but that's officially changed, as Frozen and Good Place actor Kristen Bell will be voicing the hammer-swinging hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 next year. Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic in the films, announced on Instagram that Bell would be joining the cast in the fourth movie, which is set to premiere on March 19, 2027. The post includes an image of both actors holding Funko Pops of their characters.
There's no denying the glaring flaws of Sonic the Hedgehog 4--the wonky physics, the blatant remixing (or one might even say "rehashing") of classic levels and bosses from the first two Sonic games, and the soundtrack's questionable and often derided soundfont being chief among them. But despite its problems, even 15 years later, I still find myself occasionally coming back to replay both episodes.