Sonic the Hedgehog 2's latest movie poster has been hilariously edited to replace the character of Tails with the "Stoned Fox" meme. The sequel to 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog will introduce the character of Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessy) to the movie franchise alongside Knuckles (Idris Elba), with Jim Carrey reprising his role as the nefarious Dr. Robotnik. The new movie, set for release on April 8, 2022, will see Sonic (Ben Schwartz) teaming up with Tails to stop Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles from taking a mystical emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations.
Despite the overwhelming criticism and inevitable redesign of the titular character in the first movie, where Sonic was given more realistic facial features and proportions, Sonic the Hedgehog was a huge box office success and generally well-received by fans and critics. By May 2020, a sequel had been greenlit with Jeff Fowler returning to direct. In December 2021, Paramount revealed the first poster for the upcoming movie, which pictured Sonic and sidekick Tails being chased by Dr. Robotnik. The first trailer also gave a glimpse of Knuckles as one of the movie's antagonists.
With the hype surrounding the release of the new movie, Twitter user @PleaseBexcited pondered "what could have been" if Paramount had kept the original design for Sonic, complete with its humanlike teeth and un-conjoined eyes, with an edit of the movie's poster. Additionally, Tails' face has been skillfully meshed with his lesser-known cousin, the "Stoned Fox" meme, looking suitably concerned at the amount of missiles careening towards him and Sonic. Also included from the creator is the comment "#ReleaseTheSonicCut," a thinly-veiled joke towards the comic giant DC's Extended Universe movie franchise and its fans' online campaign for the release of director Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League. Check out the post below:
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Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik was spared any meme-ification. This is most likely because the evil scientist already underwent a significant transformation to look more like his video game counterpart at the end of the first movie. While trapped Mushroom Hill Zone, thanks to the effort of Sonic, Robotnik's shaven head and unruly, sprouting facial hair gave fans a teaser of a more recognizable Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.
The edited poster for Sonic The Hedgehog 2 acts as a reminder of what happens when Hollywood gets it wrong. The inclusion of the "Stoned Fox" meme alongside the universally derided, original Sonic design emphasizes just how awkward it actually looked. While based on solid principles to ground the character in live-action, it's a good reminder that just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should. Despite the backlash, it would have been morbidly interesting to see what the original designs for Tails and Knuckles looked like, if any existed, but fans will undoubtedly be glad they never made it to the final edit.
Source: @PleaseBexcited/Twitter
