Actress Alyla Browne has confirmed she is playing Maria Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a pivotal character in Shadow's backstory.
Browne posted a photo on Instagram showing a Sonic 3 chair with the name "Maria" printed on the fabric. The young actress is sitting in the seat wearing a black padded coat covering her face and body, leading people to believe that the movie will adapt the tragic events and story of Maria Robotnik from Sonic Adventure 2.
"No offense but are you wearing a body bag?" one person quizzed on the post, to which another joked: "She's getting into character," while a third person said: "That's the canon event." Browne herself found the humor in her potentially short screentime, laughing in response and telling the original poster: "No offense taken."
IGN exclusively revealed the news of Browne's involvement with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 earlier this month while announcing several other newcomers to the cast. At the time, however, it was unconfirmed who Browne would be playing, though many thought she would star as Maria in the highly anticipated threequel.
The post-credits scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 teased the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog, who was part of Gerald's plan to cure his granddaughter, Maria, of her terminal illness. Shadow had a caring, protective bond with Maria, but she was killed right before his eyes by a G.U.N. solider when trying to help him escape.
The logo for the third Sonic film is also a homage to Sonic Adventure 2, and the game's iconic theme song, Live and Learn, will be making a comeback when the movie comes to theaters on December 20, 2024, with Jim Carrey reprising his role as Dr. Robotnik alongside several other returning cast members and newcomers.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
