KNUCKLES

 

Starring Executive Producer Idris Elba, Adam Pally, Stockard Channing, Edi Patterson, Scott Mescudi, Ellie Taylor, Julian Barratt, Rory McCann, Cary Elwes, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel

 

All Episodes of the First TV Series in the Expanding ‘Cinematic World of Sonic the Hedgehog’ from Paramount Pictures and SEGA of America Will Be Available To Stream on Friday, April 26, Exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S.

 

 

Synopsis: The new live-action event series follows Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior. The series takes place between the films Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

 

Series Premiere: All six episodes of the series will be available to stream on Friday, April 26, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada; the following day, April 27, in all additional Paramount+ territories; and in Japan later this year.

 

Format: Live-Action (Filmed in HD)

 

Created for Television by: John Whittington and Toby Ascher

 

Starring: Idris Elba, Adam Pally, Stockard Channing, Edi Patterson, Scott Mescudi, Ellie Taylor, Julian Barratt, Rory McCann, Cary Elwes, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel

 

Executive Produced by: Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Jeff Fowler,  John Whittington, Idris Elba, Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi, Toru Nakahara

 

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Watch the Official Trailer HERE

Download Key Art and Additional Series Images HERE

 

For more information about Paramount+ and KNUCKLES, please visit www.paramountplus.com, and follow @ParamountPlus and #knuckles on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

 

Paramount+ Press Contacts:

Nikki Kozel: Nikki.Kozel@paramount.com 

Mackenzie Lawn: Mackenzie.Lawn@paramount.com

 

Paramount Pictures Press Contact:

Brooke Robertson: Brooke_Robertson@paramount.com

 

SEGA of America Press Contact:

Evan Bader: Evan.Bader@SegaAmerica.com

 

 

KNUCKLES

 

Expanding the World of Sonic the Hedgehog

 

Making the Sonic movies has been an incredible experience for executive producers Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher and director of episode 101, Jeff Fowler, and after the success of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, they set out to expand the world they built into television with KNUCKLES serving as the first series in this expanded world.

 

“From the very beginning, it was really important to make sure that all TV shows in the Sonic Universe look and feel exactly the same as the movie, so we prided ourselves in making a TV show that has the scale, animation quality, heart and comedy that viewers loved in the Sonic movies,” says showrunner/executive producer Toby Ascher.

 

KNUCKLES tells the story right after Sonic 2 and right before the upcoming film Sonic 3 and explores Knuckles’ adventures as he adjusts to living on Earth for the first time.

 

Series Genesis

 

The idea of doing a KNUCKLES television show came from Fowler, Moritz and Ascher while they were in the process of developing the story for Sonic 3.

 

After his turn toward becoming a hero at the end of Sonic 2, Knuckles quickly became a fan-favorite character due to his hilarious misunderstandings of Earth’s customs. The producers felt like that made him an ideal character to explore further. Ascher developed the concept into a detailed treatment. Fowler agreed to produce and direct the pilot, shooting it back-to-back with Sonic 3, and John Whittington, who had written for Sonic 1 & 2, came on as the head writer and co-creator.

 

“Having Jeff return for the TV show was incredible. He’s a fantastic filmmaker and a wonderful producer and creative partner. He’s been great at both figuring out how to build out the story from the two films that he directed while also shepherding and helping the other directors understand the tone of the movies and guiding the animators to make sure that the characters are done right and in the same cinematic style of the movies. He’s someone who demands the absolute highest quality for everything that we build throughout the entire Sonic World,” says Moritz.

 

Also along for the ride was the incredible team at SEGA, led by producer Toru Nakahara. SEGA knew firsthand the popularity of Knuckles as a character and guided the creative process in making sure that Knuckles’ portrayal was as true to the game origins of the character as possible.

 

Exploring Different Subgenres

 

“We’ve always tried to approach our storytelling in the Sonic movies in two parts; to honor what fans love about these characters/worlds they’ve known for over thirty years but also to give them something unexpected. As we head into the third and fourth entries of this Sonic storytelling universe, it’s really important we continue to be inventive and push for new/unexpected ways to surprise/excite our fans and audiences,” says Fowler.

 

KNUCKLES was a way for the filmmakers to push themselves more comedically than they previously had in the Sonic Franchise and to do things that feel, totally and genre wise, very different.

 

As we were expanding this franchise, genre was something we had thought about a lot and remains really important to us. We want every entity of the Sonic Franchise to feel different and almost belong to a different subgenre,” says Ascher.

 

The first Sonic movie was a buddy/cop movie but with a weird blue alien. Sonic 2 was a genre shift, as well. It was this big, globetrotting adventure – essentially – Sonic in an Indiana Jones film. KNUCKLES is very different. While it has many of Sonic 1’s and Sonic 2’s themes, in a lot of ways, it's a love letter to 90s comedies and, specifically, 90s sports comedies.

 

Inspirations include Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore, the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski and the Farrelly Brothers’ Kingpin as well as films like Dodgeball.

 

And Sonic 3 will be a whole different subgenre as fan-favorite character Shadow emerges for the first time.

 

Feature Quality Animation on a TV Timeline

 

By far, the largest challenge for the show was how to replicate the film’s cutting-edge animation style on a much shorter timeline, and reducing the quality of the animation was something the creative team was unwilling to compromise.

 

“We’re proud and very protective of the quality standard we’ve created for our little computer-generated heroes in the films, so it was incredibly important we delivered the same for the Knuckles series,” says Fowler. “Fortunately, we have a very tight-knit visual effects team that’s stuck together from one Sonic project to the next so that knowledge base really helped us accomplish our goals.”

 

Fowler, along with VFX supervisor Ged Wright and Co-Producer Tyson Hesse, dove into the challenge headfirst and were ultimately successful.

 

The biggest change they made was moving the rigged character assets in house and requiring all VFX companies working on the film to animate off of their asset. This resulted in identical versions of the Knuckles character, created by different vendors, and allowed for a quicker process: one that already is paying dividends for the speed and quality of work on Sonic 3.

 

KNUCKLES was constructed more as an animated film than a live-action television show. The entire show was storyboarded under Hesse’s supervision, which was followed by extensive pre-vis and post-vis animation. As this process can be costly, a team was constructed in house, allowing Ascher and Fowler to create new versions of ideas quickly and inexpensively.

 

Knuckles & Wade

 

One of the things the creative team loves about Sonic 1 is the relationship between James Marsden's character, Tom, and Sonic's character. It’s a great buddy relationship, filled with heart, comedy and adventure.

 

By the end of Sonic 2, the team knew Knuckles was going to be a recurring character as he’s such an important part of the canon and the franchise. So they decided to craft a new and very different version of the first movie, where Knuckles gets to meet a friend and ultimately go on a big journey with him.

 

“We had so much fun working with Adam [Pally] on Sonic 1 & 2. We thought it was a great idea to take the character of Wade, really flesh him out and create a cast of characters that represent his world,” says Ascher. “We like the idea of putting Knuckles and Wade on an almost slightly offbeat, more bizarre adventure that mirrors the first movie. That way, you get to see Knuckles experience our planet for the first time and eventually accept Earth as his new home.”

 

Meanwhile, Wade always has been this underdog, this character whom people overlook, which is why it's so fun to see him be taken under Knuckles’ wing and trained as a warrior. It gives Wade a great arc that allows him to really find his confidence as a character.

 

Knuckles picks up right after Sonic 2, almost instantaneously. We quickly learned a couple of things about these characters after we left them in the last movie. Knuckles made a vow to stay on Earth with Sonic and Tails and protect the Master Emerald, but he’s finding out that it’s a little bit difficult for him to adapt to Earth. Knuckles has been this nomadic warrior his entire life in search of one thing: the Master Emerald. In the show, we’re meeting him at a point in his life when he has found that. He’s attained his life’s goal, and the question for him is what’s next? We see that Knuckles is having a tricky time adjusting to life on Earth. He’s living at the Wachowski House with Tom and Maddie, but he’s a character who has always been in some war or on some big adventure. He’s just not fitting into rural Montana.

 

He's basically a warrior without a war, a hero without a quest, a character looking for a purpose, which he ultimately finds through Wade and his quest to go to Reno, Nevada.

 

The show becomes the story of Knuckles finding a home on Earth; forming a strange family with Wade, his mom, Wendy (Stockard Channing), and his sister, Wanda (Edi Patterson); and ultimately accepting Earth as the home he’s never really had before.

 

We also learn a whole lot more about Wade Whipple than we did in the first two Sonic films. We learn he’s a talented bowler – specifically – he's part of a bowling team called the Renegades. In the pilot, we watch as he’s kicked off the Renegades and basically told he's not strong enough. He's not tough enough. He’s not enough of a warrior. Wade teams up with Knuckles, who is this fantastic warrior, and, essentially, the two make a deal. Knuckles is looking for a quest, and Wade is looking to toughen up and get his spot back on the bowling team. So they partner up and go to Reno together, creating this wonderful buddy dynamic.

 

Casting the Show

 

Everything starts with Idris Elba and Adam Pally, who bring an absurd amount of comedy to their roles and form an incredibly funny duo.

 

But building out a spinoff show can be challenging, especially when it comes to casting the new characters. Early on in the casting process, the creative team wanted to bring into the fold a lot of different, experienced comedians and actors so that Knuckles’ world felt like it had as much depth from a casting perspective as what we had seen in Sonic.

 

So Ascher and Fowler constructed a huge ensemble filled with very experienced and amazing character actors. Cary Elwes, who is beloved from The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, joined as Wade’s father, Pistol Pete, and Stockard Channing, whom the producers adored as Abby Bartlett on The West Wing, was brought in as Wade’s Mother, Wendy. Rory McCann, “The Hound” from Game of Thrones, signed on as the chief villain, The Buyer, and Hollywood legend Christopher Lloyd agreed to voice Knuckles’ mentor, the great Echidna, Chief Pachacamac. That was especially exciting to Fowler and Ascher as Back to the Future was such an important film from their childhoods.

 

Improvisation

 

Invaluable to the creative team’s casting process are actors who have an improv background. Ben Schwartz came from improv, having been in the improv group Hot Sauce with Pally. They grew up as comedy peers.

 

“The idea that someone can come to set and add ideas outside of the script really helps the process. It makes our jobs easier, and we get unexpected things that maybe we didn't expect when we started our day. We always search for actors who have the ability to do that,” says Ascher. On KNUCKLES, the team brought in Edi Patterson, who comes from The Groundlings and the fantastic HBO/Danny McBride shows, The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals.

 

“Edi was just so funny as Wade’s sister, Wanda, and every day brought something new and interesting to the process. She was fearless about trying things; putting her together with Pally was sort of like lightning in a bottle. The two of them would just go back and forth with ideas and give us so many wonderful, cool little jokes that we couldn't come up with it if we hadn’t paired these two comedic geniuses together.”

 

The Whipples

 

Wendy and Wanda Whipple, played by Channing and Patterson, are Wade’s estranged family.

 

Wanda is very similar to Wade. She’s a cop but a slightly more reputable and experienced one. While Wade is a deputy in Green Hills, Montana, Wanda is an FBI agent, so she looks down on her brother.

 

Wade is kind of the black sheep of the family. Wanda and Wade have this hilarious hyper-competitive sibling relationship where you can’t put the two of them in a room for more than a few seconds without them both verbally and physically fighting.

 

Wendy, on the other hand, is an empty-nester. Her kids have grown up. They've left her. She misses and longs for the family dynamic that she had when the kids were younger, so when her two kids show up all these years later, she seizes the moment to rekindle those years from when they were young.

 

The Whipples are a very loving but strange family, and seeing them reunite, solve their problems, come together and then grow with Knuckles, who is their newest family member, is both hilarious and heartfelt.

 

G.U.N.

 

One of the things that we're focused on in both KNUCKLES and Sonic 3 is the emergence of G.U.N.

 

G.U.N. is an organization that came into play after Sonic and Robotnik destroyed parts of San Francisco in Sonic 1. They essentially are the S.H.I.E.L.D of the Sonic World – a military organization – designed to monitor these newfound aliens that have come to Earth. In the pilot of KNUCKLES, we learn that G.U.N. is keeping close tabs on Sonic, Tails and Knuckles after the events of Sonic 2.

 

Agents Mason and Willoughby (Scott Mescudi and Ellie Taylor) work for G.U.N., but they're disillusioned. They feel like their time at G.U.N. could've been more productive. In the pilot, we learn that they have betrayed G.U.N. and decided to concoct a plan to kidnap Knuckles and sell him to a mysterious buyer.

 

Having both Taylor and Mescudi (known by his stage name, Kid Cudi) was dream casting.

 

Because Taylor’s performance as Sassy in Ted Lasso caught the producers’ attention, she was cast. Mescudi has been a Sonic superfan for a while. Such a huge fan, Mescudi hosted a screening of Sonic 1 for his fans when it was released. He was then introduced to Moritz and Ascher through Schwartz. When it became time to do the soundtrack for Sonic 2, the producers hired him to do the song “Stars in the Sky”. During the music video shoot for that project, conversations started about KNUCKLES.

 

“Scott kept expressing so much enthusiasm for the Sonic characters, asking how he could be part of the show, so we wrote the role of Agent Mason specifically for him,” says Moritz. “It’s been so fun to have Scott involved; he brought so much style and such a great performance to the role.”

 

Jack Sinclair

(Julian Barratt)

 

Casting Wade’s best friend, the bounty hunter Jack Sinclair, was a real challenge. Not only did the producers need someone who was both funny and intimidating, they needed an actor who could sing in part of Episode 4’s spawning musical number.

 

Barratt checked off all of those boxes. Coming from the cult British comedy The Mighty Boosh, he was an expert in surreal and offbeat humor. It was his performance in the comedy Mindhorn – specifically a fake 80s-style music video made for that film called “You Can’t Handcuff the Wind” – that sealed the job for him.

 

Chief Pachacamac

(Christopher Lloyd)

 

Chief Pachacamac is a renowned character in Sonic lore. The warmongering head of the Echidna Clan from Sonic Adventure is a truly unexpected choice to show up in this series.

 

He was chosen, however, because the creative team felt Knuckles needed a mentor, someone to guide him on this journey, and Pachacamac, now christened just “Mac,” was the perfect choice.

 

Lloyd brought this character to life through an iconic performance, adding to his storied career that includes Back to the Future, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Addams Family and countless other hits.

 

Pistol Pete Whipple

(Cary Elwes)

 

Wade’s estranged father, bowling champion Pistol Pete Whipple, was another challenging role to cast. The producers needed someone who could be absolutely charming but also absolutely despicable. The character, itself, was inspired by a few different devious characters –  specifically – Christopher McDonald’s Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore and Bill Murray’s Big Ern from Kingpin.

 

Elwes, an icon to many for his role in The Princess Bride, pulls it off with a performance that is nothing short of astonishing.

 

Some Familiar Friends

 

As KNUCKLES takes place directly after Sonic 2, a bunch of familiar faces from the movies return for the show. In addition to Pally's Wade Whipple and Elba’s Knuckles as our leads, the show features Schwartz’s portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog, along with Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails and the return of Tika Sumpter as Maddie.

 

The Sonic Family

 

In addition to the returns of Fowler, Ascher, Whittington and Moritz, most of the same crew from the first movie returned for the show. Many are in new roles that have allowed them to grow creatively inside the Sonic Universe.

 

Ged Wright, the VFX supervisor for Sonic 1 & 2, made his directorial debut on Episode 2.

 

Brandon Trost, the cinematographer for Sonic 2, directed Episode 3.

 

Peter Wilke, the lead camera operator for Sonic 1, served as the cinematographer for Episodes 3, 5 and 6.

 

Joining the Sonic Family for the first time is acclaimed director Jorma Taccone, who directed Episode 4, along with experienced TV director Carol Banker, who directed Episode 5 and 6.

 

Quill Powered Weapons

 

In order to build The Buyer’s high tech – Knuckles’ quill-powered weaponry – Fowler brought on Pierre Bohanna, the acclaimed costume FX head who’s best known for creating the armor in Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow. He collaborated with costume designer Eleanor Baker to create the red, stylized power fists that play a big part in the story.

 

The goal in creating these weapons was to give the antagonists a way to keep up with Knuckles, who had already been established as the strongest character in the galaxy. This weaponry, charged by Knuckles’ own power, effectively evens the odds.

 

The Flames of Disaster       

 

In order to create the musical episode, “The Flames of Disaster,” Taccone, of the sketch group The Lonely Island, was brought in to direct the episode and supervise the episode’s music along with his brother, Asa Taccone, and Matthew Compton.

 

Having cut his teeth on SNL with musical sketches such as “Lazy Sunday” and “D*ck in a Box,” Taccone was the perfect comedic talent with whom to collaborate on this episode. He oversaw the costumes, set design and extensive puppetry involved with pulling it off.

 

When the team needed a lead vocalist to sing the chorus for the song, Taccone called an old friend, acclaimed singer Michael Bolton, with whom he had worked on SNL in the classic sketch “Jack Sparrow.” Bolton agreed to be Wade’s singing voice and did amazing vocal work in creating the music for the episode.

 

Bowling

 

Because a large part of the story is centered around bowling and, specifically, the professional bowling scene in Reno, Nevada, both Pally and Elwes made sure they could sell themselves as championship bowlers on camera.

 

In the months leading to production, this involved working with professional bowlers who coached them on technique, style, spin and everything else you need to succeed in the heart-stopping game that is bowling. By the time they were ready to shoot, both had become very proficient bowlers.

 

ESPN 8: The Ocho

 

As a way to further establish the silly tone of the bowling world, the producers made a deal with ESPN to showcase its offbeat brand ESPN 8: The Ocho, which was famously a part of Rawson Thurber’s Dodgeball: An Underdog Story.

 

In that film, Gary Cole and Jason Bateman famously played the two ESPN announcers who mock and cheer on the teams playing dodgeball. Wanting a similar tone, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, two talented comedians from the sketch group Human Giant, were hired as the next generation of ESPN 8: The Ocho announcers.

 

A fun Easter Egg, now both Dodgeball and Knuckles seem to exist in the same world.

 

WadeJammerz ’99

 

An ongoing storyline in the series revolves around Wade teaching Knuckles about Earth music – specifically – about mix CDs “chocked full of jams” and professing his love for the music of the 90s.

 

Inspired by Wade’s choice in music, the series is filled with 90s-era needle drops and features everyone from Paula Cole to blink-182 to Salt-N-Pepa.

Or as Wade describes it, they’re “back-to-back bangers.”

 

 

THE CAST

 

Knuckles (Idris Elba)

Knuckles is the greatest warrior in the entire galaxy. The last of his people, the Echidna, Knuckles made a pledge to find the Master Emerald and protect it. But after the events in Sonic 2, that quest is complete, and now Knuckles must adjust to life on this strange new planet and figure out where he fits in.

 

Wade Whipple (Adam Pally)

Wade Whipple is the greatest lieutenant deputy that Green Hills, Montana has to offer. But he’s tired of being overlooked and belittled. With Knuckles’ help, he will become the warrior he was always meant to be.

 

Wendy Whipple (Stockard Channing)

Wendy is Wade’s mother. An empty-nester whose kids moved out a long time ago, she longs for the days when her family still lived together.

 

Wanda Whipple (Edi Patterson)

Wanda is Wade’s sister. An FBI agent who takes her job way too seriously, she thinks Wade and his small-town police job are jokes, especially compared to her job in the FBI.

 

Pistol Pete Whipple (Cary Elwes)

Pistol Pete is Wade’s Father, a legendary bowling champion who resides in Reno, Nevada. Pete abandoned Wade when he was a child to chase bowling stardom.

 

Jack Sinclair (Julian Barratt)

A self-proclaimed bounty hunter, Jack also is Wade’s best friend and partner on their bowling team, The Renegades.

 

Agent Willoughby (Ellie Taylor)

A G.U.N. agent that is frustrated by bureaucracy and inaction, Agent Willoughby decides to betray G.U.N. and sets out to capture Knuckles.

 

Agent Mason (Scott Mescudi)

Agent Willoughby’s partner at G.U.N, Agent Mason also is corrupt, but his motivation is less personal. He’s in it for the money.

 

The Buyer (Rory McCann)

An ex-colleague of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, The Buyer sells quill-powered weapons on the black market.

 

EPISODE LOGLINES

 

Ep 101 - The Warrior

Knuckles struggles to adapt to his new life in Green Hills.

 

Ep 102 - Don’t Ever Say I Wasn’t There For You

Wade plans an awesome rescue mission while Knuckles confronts his captors.

 

Ep 103 - The Shabbat Dinner

Fugitives from the law, Knuckles and Wade hide out with Wade’s family.

 

Ep 104 - The Flames of Disaster

In order to learn where Knuckles’ true strength lies, Wade must see the world through his eyes. A Musical Episode.

 

Ep 105 - Reno, Baby

Knuckles and Wade arrive in Reno, Nevada for the National Bowling Championship.

 

Ep 106 - What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno

The friendship between Knuckles and Wade is tested - as enemies, new and old, converge in Reno.

 

 

ABOUT THE CAST

 

IDRIS ELBA (KNUCKLES/Executive Producer) is an award-winning actor, producer, director and musician who is continually securing his place as one of the most versatile performers in Hollywood. In 2016, he became the first male actor to receive dual SAG Awards in one evening: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries.

 

Elba recently filmed Amazon Prime’s action-comedy Heads of State, where he will star opposite John Cena. With Martin Owen, Elba’s next set to co-direct the survival thriller Above the Below.

 

Elba’s career skyrocketed on the small screen in some of the UK’s top-rated shows. Soon after, Elba landed the role of Stringer Bell in HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire, which garnered him an NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2010, Elba landed the title role on the BBC miniseries Luther, earning him a Golden Globe Award, SAG Award and four Primetime Emmy® Award nominations. The series returned in 2019 for its fifth season.

 

In 2005, Elba began his film career with the Golden Globe®-nominated projects American Gangster, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Beasts of No Nation, which also nabbed him a SAG Award. He also starred in The Mountain Between Us, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War and the Oscar^®-nominated film Molly’s Game. Elba has loaned his voice to such projects as The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Zootopia, which grossed more than $600 million worldwide, and the Oscar-winning short The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. In 2019, he starred opposite Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the hit action film Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Other credits include Netflix’s Concrete Cowboy, Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad opposite Margot Robbie and John Cena, Netflix’s The Harder They Fall opposite Regina King, the George Miller-directed Three Thousand Years of Longing opposite Tilda Swinton, Universal's thriller Beast and the feature-film installment of Luther: The Fallen Sun opposite Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis. Most recently, Elba was seen starring in the hit Apple TV+ thriller Hijack, where he also served as executive producer. Apple TV+ recently announced that Hijack will be going into production for Season 2. Elba next can be seen as Knuckles in the KNUCKLES TV series, scheduled for release in April 2024.

 

Behind the camera, Elba made his feature film directorial debut at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival with Yardie. In 2013, Elba founded his production company, Green Door Pictures, to champion diversity of thought. With Green Door, Elba released the documentary Mandela, My Dad and Me, produced the TV miniseries Guerrilla for Showtime and created, produced and appeared in the 2018 Sky comedy series In the Long Run. He also created, produced and starred in the Netflix comedy series Turn Up Charlie and co-created and produced the musical Tree, which premiered in July 2019 at the Manchester International Festival. Elba’s Green Door Pictures production company also has signed a first-look deal with Apple, which will produce both series and features for Apple’s streaming platform, Apple TV+.

 

In 2018, Elba was named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. In July of the same year, he launched his record label, 7Wallace Music.

 

Hailing from Livingston, New Jersey, ADAM PALLY (Wade Whipple) quickly has found his place as an actor and comedian in Hollywood. Pally is most known for his breakout role as Max Blum, one of the lead characters in the ABC ensemble comedy series Happy Endings alongside Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Damon Wayans, Jr. and Casey Wilson. In 2013, Pally was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Critics' Choice Television Awards for his work on Season 3 of Happy Endings. The cast reunited in July 2020 for the pandemic-themed episode "And the Pandemmy Goes to..." to raise money for the charities Color of Change and World Central Kitchen. Following the success of Happy Endings, Pally joined the cast of The Mindy Project as a series regular for the second and third seasons, playing the role of Dr. Peter Prentice. Recently, Pally was seen in the blockbuster hit Sonic the Hedgehog 2, reprising his role as Wade. He can next be seen opposite Idris Elba in the highly anticipated live-action series KNUCKLES. The series takes place between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which is slated to hit theaters on December 20, 2024. In the series, Knuckles agrees to train Wade as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.

 

Pally has teamed up with Steph Curry to star together in Mr. Throwback, a mockumentary comedy on NBC about a down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer looking for redemption, which reunites him with Curry, his sixth-grade teammate. Pally created the show and will serve as an executive producer with Curry. In addition, Pally will next be seen in the sci-fi dramedy O Horizon, from O.G. filmmaker Madeleine Sackler; he stars alongside Oscar nominees Maria Baklava and David Strathairn. Pally formerly appeared in the Arnold Schwarzenegger Netflix series Fubar, where he plays the Great Dane, and previously starred in Who Invited Charlie?, a comedy by director Xavier Manrique. Pally also is seen in HBO Max’s 101 Places to Party Before You Die, based on the bestselling book. Pally co-hosted the travel-comedy series with longtime friend Jon Gabrus.

 

Pally has appeared in such films as Iron Man 3, Taking Woodstock, Solitary Man, Assassination of a High School President, The To Do List, A.C.O.D., Slow Learners, Search Party and Night Owl. He has made guest appearances on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Californication, and The Colbert Report. He has written and appeared on the Adult Swim series NTSF:SD: SUV. From April 2011 to May 2013, Pally starred as Max Blum in Happy Endings. Pally’s most recent TV series from Hulu, Champaign ILL, garnered critical acclaim when it originally debuted on YouTube Premium in 2018. The show’s entire 10-episode season got a second lease on life through an exclusive acquisition by Hulu.

 

Pally has been a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade since 2003 and continues to write and perform sketch comedy. He has written and performed in two long-running sketch comedy shows at the theater with his sketch comedy group, Hot Sauce, an official selection and performer for the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in 2007.

 

Pally is a graduate of the New School in New York and currently resides in New York.

 

STOCKARD CHANNING (Wendy Whipple) has received a total of 13 Emmy nominations and has won three Emmy Awards, including for her television roles in The West Wing and The Matthew Shepard Story, both for which she also received SAG Awards. Channing has been nominated for a total of 11 SAG Awards. She also starred in Joan Rivers’ The Girl Most Likely to… and The Baby Dance, for which she was nominated for another Golden Globe Award. On the big screen, Channing appeared in Mike Nichols’ The Fortune, Practical Magic, The First Wives Club, Moll Flanders, Up Close & Personal, Smoke and Grease, earning a People’s Choice Award for her performance as Rizzo. Channing received a London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Actress of the Year and an AFI Best Actress nomination for The Business of Strangers.

 

EDI PATTERSON (Wanda Whipple) plays Judy Gemstone and is a writer for the HBO series The Righteous Gemstones, which soon will be filming its fourth season. Other credits include the third season of Resident Alien, Violent Night, Vice Principals and Knives Out. She’s also the voice of Megan in the upcoming Netflix animated feature Thelma the Unicorn. Edi is an alum of the Main Company of The Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles and a member of the ensemble of Impro Theatre.

 

Over the course of his illustrious career, CARY ELWES (Pete Whipple) has worked with some of the finest directors and actors in the business. He has starred in Academy Award^®-winning films Glory and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the box-office hits Days of Thunder, Hot Shots!, Twister, Liar Liar and Saw and the cult classics Robin Hood: Men in Tights and The Princess Bride. Elwes was recently seen in the newest installment of the beloved franchise Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, directed by Christopher McQuarrie for Paramount, which included an ensemble cast featuring Tom Cruise, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson.

 

Comedian, actor and writer ELLIE TAYLOR (Agent Willoughby) is hugely in demand across television, radio, social media and live work.

 

Taylor plays Sassy in all three series of the multi-award-winning AppleTV smash-hit series Ted Lasso alongside Jason Sudeikis. Other acting credits include Agent Willoughby in KNUCKLES (Paramount), Diana in Belated (FX), Gloria in Plebs (ITV 2), Josh (BBC), Poppy in Brotherhood (Comedy Central), Christina in The Lodge (Disney Channel) and Tracey in Family Tree (BBC 2) as well as featuring in SICK NOTE (Sky 1).

 

Taylor can be seen as the co-host of Bake Off: The Professionals (Channel 4) and the host of Series 5 of The Great Pottery Throwdown , Let’s Make a Love Scene, You Won’t Believe This (Channel 4) and Cheat (Netflix). She was part of the core cast of hit satirical shows The Mash Report and Late Night Mash with her clips becoming worldwide viral hits, notching more than 100 million views online and being shared by a whole host of celebrities, including Madonna.

 

Taylor was one of five UK comedians to be featured in Netflix’s trailblazing Comedians of the World series with her stand-up special Cravings.

 

Her first book, My Child and Other Mistakes, is a Sunday Times bestseller that garnered rave reviews across the globe.

 

SCOTT MESCUDI (Agent Mason), better known by his stage name, Kid Cudi, is an American director, actor, fashion designer, Grammy® Award-winning musician and multi-platinum recording artist from Cleveland, Ohio. Cudi first debuted on the music scene in 2008 and quickly rose to the top of the Billboard charts. His first studio album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, received widespread industry praise and set the stage for his subsequent successful endeavors. His September 2022 album, Entergalactic, was released in tandem with the companion Emmy-nominated Netflix animated project, and his newest album, Insano, was released in January 2024 to widespread praise and rave reviews. Over the course of his career, Cudi has made exceptional contributions to the music industry, and many prominent artists claim his discography as a significant source of stylistic inspiration.

 

In 2010, Cudi ventured into acting and starred in the critically acclaimed HBO comedy series How to Make It in America. From there, he went on to star in Josh Mond’s James White, Dreamworks’ Need for Speed, Warner Bros.’ Entourage and Reed Morano’s Meadowland. He also has appeared in HBO’s Westworld, Nick Jarecki’s Crisis opposite Gary Oldman and MGM’s Bill & Ted Face the Music. He had his own Amazon Prime documentary, A Man Named Scott, which was released to great reviews and highlighted his key impact on the entertainment industry.

 

Cudi can be seen as one of the leads of A24’s X, written and directed by Ti West and produced by Sam Levinson. In 2021, he appeared in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, which became the second-most-watched movie in Netflix’s history. He also can be seen in Disney+’s Crater, produced by 21 Laps, House Party with Jacob Latimore, Silent Night with Joel Kinnaman and the animated feature Trolls Band Together with Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello and Anna Kendrick. Recently, he lent his voice to Max’s animated series Young Love alongside Issa Rae, which is a spinoff of the Oscar-winning short film Hair Love and which earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination. His other upcoming, highly anticipated projects include Ursa Major with Jessica Biel and the Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff, KNUCKLES.

 

In 2020, Cudi founded the production company MAD SOLAR. Aside from his work in film and music, he’s a notable figure in the fashion industry. He recently launched his debut collection from his clothing line, Members of the Rage (MOTR), at Paris Fashion Week in January 2023, which has seen incredible success. Most recently, he can be seen in a Calvin Klein campaign alongside Kendall Jenner, Alexa Demie and Jungkook. Another exciting project that has garnered buzz from fans and press is his comic book Moon Man, which was released in January 2024 and sold out instantly.

 

Cudi’s work as a mental health advocate also has cemented his deeply rooted impact on pop culture.

 

RORY MCCANN (The Buyer) was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

His television credits are extensive and include guest roles in The Irregulars, Coming Soon, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Monarch of the Glen, State of Play and Shameless and title roles in Peter in Paradise and Attila the Hun.

 

His series roles include Rockface and Jimmy McGovern’s Banished, and he starred in Channel 4’s acclaimed comedy/drama series The Book Group, winning a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as Kenny.

 

McCann’s film work includes Jumanji: The Next Level, Ratcatcher, Beowulf & Grendel and Hot Fuzz. He appeared in Young Adam with Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton and Alexander alongside Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie. Other film credits include The Crew, Solomon Kane, Season of the Witch, Clash of the Titans alongside Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, Slow West alongside Michael Fassbender, Jackdaw and xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.

 

Rory is probably best known for playing Sandor Clegane ‘The Hound’ in all eight seasons of HBO’s acclaimed Game of Thrones. He recently finished filming on a highly anticipated Ridley Scott film Tornado, which reunited him with director John Maclean. Rory will soon be seen in the film The Damned and Paramount+’s series KNUCKLES.

 

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD (Pachacamac) has appeared in more than 90 film and television productions, including the Back to the Future trilogy, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Eight Men Out, The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, BBC’s Dead Ahead: Exxon Valdez Disaster, The Pagemaster, Dennis The Menace, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8^th Dimension, Track 29, Clue, The Dream Team, Angels in the Outfield,  Star Trek III, Goin’ South, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, My Favorite Martian, Tales of Despereaux, Snowmen, Nobody and Mike Nichols’ HBO adaptation of Wit, starring Emma Thompson. Most recently, he was in the George Clooney-directed The Tender Bar and Tankhouse.

 

PAUL SCHEER (Bowling Announcer #1) is a SAG Award-winning actor, writer and director who has established himself as one of today’s go-to comedic artists in film and television. He recently was seen opposite Don Cheadle in the SHOWTIME^® series Black Monday. He next will be seen opposite Jennifer Garner in the Netflix film Family Leave. Other screen credits include HBO's Veep, NBC's The Good Place, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, ABC's Fresh Off the Boat, Hulu's Future Man, FX's The League and Facebook Watch's Human Discoveries. Screen credits include Happily opposite Joel McHale, Lionsgate's Long Shot, A24’s feature Slice and SXSW’s coming-of-age drama Summer ‘03. Scheer also was featured in the Oscar-nominated A24 film The Disaster Artist.

 

ROB HUEBEL’s (Bowling Announcer #2) recent credits include Children's Hospital, Sex Lives of College Girls, Disney+’s Goosebumps and Bob’s Burgers.

 

 

ABOUT THE CREW

 

JEFF FOWLER (Executive Producer) is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and visual effects veteran who made his theatrical directorial debut with Sonic the Hedgehog for Paramount Pictures. Fowler also directed its sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and the pilot episode of KNUCKLES, the first TV series based on the Sonic Universe, created for Paramount+. He currently is in post-production on Sonic the Hedgehog 3, starring James Marsden, Tika Sumpter and Jim Carrey. Fowler received a degree in computer animation from the Ringling College of Art and Design.

NEAL H. MORITZ (Executive Producer) is the founder of Original Film and one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood today. Moritz has produced more than 60 major motion pictures, which have earned a total of more than $11 billion at the box office worldwide. He has produced every film in the Fast & Furious Franchise. He also has produced the Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise, including the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its TV spinoff, KNUCKLES, on Paramount+. Additional film credits include 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, Goosebumps 1 & 2 and the teen classics I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions. Moritz also has a successful television business with several series on the air, including Emmy nominee The Boys, which is Amazon Prime’s most-watched series. Current TV credits include Gen V on Amazon Prime, Goosebumps on Disney+ and S.W.A.T., which is in its sixth season on CBS and has become one of the most-viewed shows on Netflix. Past television credits include Preacher for AMC, Happy! for SyFy and Prison Break for FOX.

TOBY ASCHER (Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer) is a producer at Original Film. He co-created and served as the showrunner for KNUCKLES, the Paramount+ series starring Idris Elba and Adam Pally. He previously produced Sonic The Hedgehog 1 & 2, starring Jim Carrey, Idris Elba and James Marsden for Paramount. The franchise has grossed more than $700 million worldwide. Additionally, he produced Spenser Confidential, based on Robert B. Parker's Spenser character and starring Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke for Netflix. At the time of release, Spenser Confidential was Netflix's seventh-most-watched film ever. He currently in post-production on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for Paramount. Born in New York City, Ascher completed his undergraduate degree in film at Boston University.

 

JOHN WHITTINGTON (Co-Creator/Writer/Executive Producer) is the co-creator and executive producer of the KNUCKLES streaming series, premiering on Paramount+. Within the Sonic Universe, he is also the co-screenplay writer of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

 

Additional writing credits include The Lego Batman Movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie and DC League of Super Pets. Whittington also was Emmy nominated for his work writing on Netflix’s animated Dr. Seuss series, Green Eggs and Ham, and has feature projects in development at several major studios.

 

Whittington hails from northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, and studied film and TV production at NYU. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks, CA with his wife and daughter.

 

As SEGA of America's head of entertainment production (film & TV) and head of business affairs, TORU NAKAHARA (Executive Producer) has a vast slate of production credits, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the upcoming video game-based film Streets of Rage, the animated short Sonic Drone Home and the Sonic Prime television series. Nakahara’s position at SEGA of America allows him to work across both the creative and business sides of the company.

 

Nakahara has a unique background as former partner attorney of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (LA Office), licensed in CA, NY and Japan, and as the youngest (at the time in 2010) public high-school principal throughout Japan. Toru taught English to Japanese students and introduced TOEFL (standardized test for foreigners to enter US universities) to the Japanese public high-school curriculum to reform Japanese-English education.

 

 

CREW CREDITS

 

CASTING DIRECTOR                                                                       TRICIA WOOD, CSA

                                                                                                            JANELLE SCUDERI, CSA

 

PRODUCTION DESIGNER (101, 102, 103, 104, 105)                     LUKE FREEBORN

 

PRODUCTION DESIGNER (102, 103, 104, 105, 106)                     JASON KNOX-JOHNSTON

 

WRITER (101, 102, 106)                                                                   JOHN WHITTINGTON

WRITER (103, 105)                                                                           BRIAN SCHACTER

WRITER (104)                                                                                    JAMES MADEJSKI

 

DIRECTOR (101)                                                                               JEFF FOWLER

DIRECTOR (102)                                                                               GED WRIGHT

DIRECTOR (103)                                                                               BRANDON TROST

DIRECTOR (104)                                                                               JORMA TACCONE

DIRECTOR (105, 106)                                                                       CAROL BANKER

 

EDITOR (101, 104)                                                                           AL LEVINE

EDITOR (102, 105)                                                                           LIYANA MANSOR

EDITOR (103, 106)                                                                           RICHARD KETTERIDGE

 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (101, 102, 104)                         BRANDON TROST

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (103, 105, 106)                            PETER WILKE

 

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS                                                              NEAL H. MORITZ

                                                                                                           TOBY ASCHER

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER                                                                 JEFF FOWLER

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS                                                              JOHN WHITTINGTON

                                                                                                           IDRIS ELBA

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS                                                              HARUKI SATOMI

                                                                                                          SHUJI UTSUMI

                                                                                                          TORU NAKAHARA

 

PRODUCERS                                                                                   SAMANTHA WAITE

                                                                                                           HITOSHI OKUNO

 

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS                                                       TOMMY GORMLEY

         BEN ROSENBLATT              

 

UNIT PRODUCTION MANAGERS                                                   SAMANTHA WHITE

                                                                                                           NAN MORALES

 

FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (101, 103, 104)                            TOMMY GORMLEY

FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (102, 105, 106)                              GEORGE WALKER

 

SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (101)                                         ANDREW YOUNG

FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (104)                                              ANDREW YOUNG

 

MUSIC SUPERVISOR                                                                      MATT BIFFA

 

COMPOSER                                                                                      TOM HOWE          

 

COSTUME DESIGNER                                                                     ELEANOR BAKER  

 

VFX SUPERVISORS                                                                         GED WRIGHT

                                                                                                            MARTINO MADEDDU

           

VFX PRODUCTION MANAGERS                                                     OLIVIA TURNER

                                                                                                            EREN RAMADAN

 

SUPERVISING ART DIRECTOR                                                       ADAM SQUIRES

 

ART DIRECTORS                                                                              MARCO RESTIVO

          LAURA MICKIEWICZ

          PAUL SAVULESCU

           

SET DECORATOR                                                                            DANIEL VINCENT

 

PROPERTY MASTER                                                                       TERENCE WOOD

 

HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER                                                          NICKY AUSTIN

 

HAIR & MAKEUP ARTISTS                                                              NICOLA POPE

         NIKKI SPRINGALL

 

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR (101, 102, 103, 105, 106)                           HOLLY JOHNSON

 

SOUND MIXER                                                                                 ROBERT FLANAGAN

 

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR                                                          LAURA HUNTER

 

SUPERVISING LOCATION MANAGER                                           JASON WHEELER

 

LOCATION MANAGER                                                                     NICK OLIVER

                                                                                                           JON ROPER

 

CHIEF LIGHTING TECHNICIAN (CLT)                                             DOMINIC SEAL

                                                           

STUNT COORDINATOR                                                                   EUNICE HUTHART

 

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER                                                            JULIAN NIX

 

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS                                                                    DAVID AHERN

         GABRIELLE LEON

         MADELEINE WESTAWAY

 

STORYBOARD SUPERVISOR                                                         DOUG EINAR OLSEN

 

STORYBOARD ARTISTS                                                                 COLE HARRINGTON

                                                                                                            ETHAN NG

                                                                                                            EMILY HSU

                                                                                                            AARON AUSTIN

                                                                                                            INDIA SWIFT

                                                                                     

POST-PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR                                               NATALIE SILVER    

 

VXF ANIMATION SUPERVISOR                                                      CLEM YIP

 

VFX 3D CONCEPT ARTIST                                                              ALIN BOLCAS

 

VFX EDITOR (101, 104)                                                                    HELENA DUGARD

 

RECORDED AND MIXED BY                                                           JAKE JACKSON

 

MUSIC EDITOR                                                                                 ANDY PATTERSON

 

SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR                                                     MATT SKELDING

 

RE-RECORDING MIXERS                                                                DOUG COOPER

                                                                                                            MATT SKELDING

 

SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR                                                              GRAY ALETTER

 

DIALOGUE EDITOR                                                                          NINA NOREK

 

FOLEY EDITORS                                                                              AMY BARBER

         JONATHAN BRUCE

 

ADR VOICE CASTING                                                                      PHOEBE SCHOLFIELD

 

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