One of the last major movies to hit theaters just before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered theaters was Sonic the Hedgehog. And now the oft-discussed film adaptation of the popular video game franchise is getting a sequel. Very few details are known about the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel except that it has been greenlit by production studios Paramount Pictures and holdings company Sega Sammy. It will see Jeff Fowler once again at the helm to direct the movie, with Pat Casey and Josh Miller returning to write the script.
The report comes from Variety, who says that the film is still very early in development. No decisions have been made in regards to casting or a production schedule, though it can be assumed that they will at least try to recast the same actors for their respective roles from the first film (Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey).
The Sonic the Hedgehog film had an incredibly successful launch, taking the biggest opening weekend of any video game film and the fourth best-ever President’s Day weekend opening for a film. It was brought to home audiences early due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns that saw theaters closed.
That first film gained notoriety well ahead of its release for its much-maligned original design of the titular character, which had awkward proportions and features that didn’t sit right with fans. The studio ended up delaying the movie and heading back to the drawing board, eventually re-revealing the movie with a whole new Sonic look that was much more faithful to the character’s video game design.
Fortunately, with a design already locked in (and apparently acceptable for fans, given the success of the movie), the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel shouldn’t face the same backlash as the first film unless, of course, it introduces other characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, which could just as easily set the pot boiling again. I’m sure the filmmakers are much more keenly tuned into what people love about the franchise though, which ensures that other character designs won’t have the same nightmarish qualities that OG movie Sonic did.