Kristen Bell to voice Amy Rose in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’
Kristen Bell attends the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on Jan. 11, 2026, in Beverly Hills, California. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Kristen Bell is joining the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
The actress will voice Amy Rose in Paramount Pictures’ upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Ben Schwartz, who has voiced Sonic in all three of the franchise’s previous films, made the announcement in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
Schwartz posted a photo of himself and Bell embracing while holding action figures of their respective characters.
“WE HAVE OUR AMY ROSE!!! And I could not be more excited!!! Please welcome the incredible @kristenanniebell to the @sonicmovie family!!!”
In the video games, Amy Rose is a pink hedgehog who is a longtime admirer of Sonic’s.
Bell joins the star-studded voice cast of the franchise that also includes Idris Elba as Knuckles and Keanu Reeves as Shadow. The live-action cast of the franchise includes Jim Carrey as the villain Dr. Robotnik, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski and Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski.
While a plot for the fourth film has yet to be unveiled, it will be directed by Jeff Fowler, who also helmed the previous three films in the franchise. It is scheduled for release on March 19, 2027.
Amy Rose was first teased in the mid-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The scene finds Sonic being chased by an army of Metal Sonics before he is saved by the pink hedgehog.
: Actor Chuck Norris arrives at Lionsgate Films’ ‘The Expendables 2’ premiere on August 15, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Actor Chuck Norris, the martial artist known for a string of hit action movies and the series Walker, Texas Ranger, has died, according to his family. He was 86.
“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” Norris’ family said Friday in a statement shared on his Instagram page. “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
The family said Norris was “a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.”
“While our hearts are broken, we are deeply grateful for the life he lived and for the unforgettable moments we were blessed to share with him,” the family statement continued. “The love and support he received from fans around the world meant so much to him, and our family is truly thankful for it. To him, you were not just fans, you were his friends.”
Norris’ family said the actor had been recently hospitalized but did not share further details on his condition.
The actor turned 86 on March 10, just days before his death. He shared a video of himself boxing on his birthday, saying in the video, “I don’t age. I level up.”
Norris, born Carlos Ray Norris, was born in Oklahoma but spent much of his childhood in California. He learned karate while serving in the U.S. Air Force in South Korea, with the hopes of becoming a police officer after his service, he told The New York Times in a 1985 interview.
When he returned to Southern California after his military service, he instead opened a chain of karate schools.
It was through teaching karate that Norris was introduced to acting when he instructed the late Steve McQueen and McQueen’s son, he told the Times.
“He told me that I should think about projecting a presence, and never do a part that had a lot of dialogue,” Norris said of McQueen’s advice. “He told me, ‘Movies are visual, and when you try to verbalize something, you’re going to lose the audience.’ He said to let the character actors lay out the plot, and that when there were important things to say, you say it, and people will remember.”
From that fateful meeting with McQueen, Norris went on to have an acting career that spanned several decades and featured starring roles in blockbuster action movies including The Way of the Dragon, Lone Wolf McQuade, Missing in Action, The Delta Force and Invasion U.S.A.
In the 1990s, Norris became a television star with the series Walker, Texas Ranger, which he both starred in and executive produced.
In addition to acting, Norris was an author, including of his 2004 autobiography, Against All Odds: My Story.
Offscreen, Norris also entered the political arena, endorsing and campaigning for several conservative candidates over the years.
In his later years, Norris reached unexpected online fame when jokes known as “Chuck Norris Facts” went viral online, touting Norris’ seeming invincibility with lines like, “Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep. He waits.”
Norris revealed his personal favorite in 2008, telling Extra, “My favorite is that they wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mount Rushmore, but the granite wasn’t tough enough for his beard.”
Norris capitalized on his online fame, growing a social media following of nearly 3 million followers on Instagram, where he continued to post everything from his workouts to life advice until the time of his death.
Norris is survived by his wife of nearly 30 years, Gena O’Kelly, with whom he shared two children, twins Dakota Norris and Danilee Norris.
Norris is also survived by three other adult children, two sons, Eric Norris and Mike Norris, and a daughter, Dina Norris.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 34 champions Robert Irwin and Witney Carson reunited at Australia Zoo. (ABC News)
Dancing with the Stars season 34 champions Robert Irwin and Witney Carson are reuniting for the first time since winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in November.
Pro dancer Carson and her family traveled over 10,000 miles to the land down under to meet with Irwin, a conservationist, at his home turf in Australia Zoo and gave Good Morning America an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the reunion.
Irwin gave Carson and her family, including her two young sons, a tour through the zoo grounds, and introduced them to local residents, including crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, koalas and turtles.
“Australia Zoo is very much a sanctuary,” Irwin told GMA. “We really value that one-on-one kind of experience with animals.”
Irwin said he drew inspiration from the animals at the Australia Zoo during his time on Dancing with theStars.
“I would always relate dance moves back to an animal,” said Irwin. “I’d always be talking about that. And so, after being in that world of dance, then to bring you guys into my world, it’s like it all kind of, you had context then, all of a sudden.”
During this reunion trip, Irwin and Carson took the opportunity to celebrate their big win and even recreated their first ballroom dance together. Irwin added that his experience on Dancing with the Stars was transformative.
“I feel as though the experience on a personal level enabled me to heal parts of myself and my own journey that I’ve never actually addressed before,” Irwin said.
Irwin added that since wrapping up his time on Dancing with the Stars, he feels like he has “gained this new family in America” and called Carson “an honorary Australian.”
Zendaya and Tom Holland pose at a photocall for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ at The Old Sessions House on Dec. 5, 2021, in London. (Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images)
Zendaya and Tom Holland have tied the knot, according to stylist Law Roach.
The famed celebrity stylist behind many of Zendaya’s looks opened up on the Actor Awards red carpet on Sunday when asked about the couple’s seemingly impending marriage.
“The wedding has already happened. You missed it,” Roach said while speaking with Access Hollywood on the red carpet at the awards ceremony.
“Is that true?” asked the reporter, to which Roach responded, “It’s very true.”
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Zendaya and Holland.
The couple’s engagement was confirmed by People last year after Zendaya was photographed wearing a large diamond ring at the 2025 Golden Globes.
The celebrity couple met in 2016 while filming the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming, in which Holland starred as the superhero and Zendaya starred as “MJ,” or Michelle Jones-Watson.
Holland seemed to indicate a romance with Zendaya in 2021, wishing her a happy birthday in an Instagram post.
“My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your [sic] up xxx,” wrote Holland in the post.
The photo showed Holland in full Spider-Man gear while Zendaya rested her chin on his shoulder and raised a camera to a mirror.
