Sonic the Hedgehog, the film adaptation of the popular video game franchise, is officially getting a sequel, with the director and writers returning. The 2020 film, starring James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Jim Carrey, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, was initially planned to be released in November of 2019. It was pushed back to February 14, 2020, after negative feedback from fans on the initial character design. The film was a massive success at the box-office, breaking the U.S. record previously set by Detective Pikachu for top-grossing video game movie adaptation. Sonic the Hedgehog was lucky enough to release right before many movies had to be pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the film's release in China is still officially delayed.
Sonic the Hedgehog is based on the Japanese video game series of the same name, created and owned by Sega. The franchise stars Sonic, a speedy blue hedgehog, who battles the evil Dr. Robotnik/Eggman alongside his pals Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose, among others. There have been many games, mainly platformers, though there have also been spin-off games focused on racing, fighting, and the like. The popularity of the games spawned many books, comics, and cartoons throughout the franchise's long history. The 2020 film adaptation is about a lonely Sonic living on Earth, who teams up with local sheriff Tom Wachowski (Marsden) to fight Robotnik (Carrey), who is after Sonic's speed and power.
According to Variety, Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy have confirmed they've begun development on Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Director Jeff Fowler and co-writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller return for the new film. There's no news on the cast reprising their roles, yet. Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, and Toru Nakahara are producing, alongside Hajime Satomi, Haruki Satomi, and Tim Miller, who will serve as executive producers. News of a sequel was expected after the great success of the first film.
In a post-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic's main sidekick Tails appears through a portal looking for his friend, setting up his role in a possible sequel. Fowler says they'd planned Tails' appearance very early on in the filmmaking process, and he's excited about a Sonic and Tails team-up. Given how early in development the film is, there are no clues as to what exactly the story will be, as well as what other fan-favorites might appear and who might play them.
After Sonic the Hedgehog's release in theaters, the film followed many other films in releasing early on VOD, becoming available to watch on digital on March 31. Other movies that also did this were Birds of Prey, Emma, and The Invisible Man, adapting to the difficult situation COVID-19 put the entertainment industry in. The announcement of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is great news for fans of the first film and the video games and is a positive sign for the reopening of Hollywood.
Source: Variety