Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Is Start Of A New Cinematic Universe Says Producer
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, soon to be released on April 8, will be part of a new cinematic universe at Paramount Studios. Sonic the Hedgehog was a critical and financial hit when released in 2020. Before its initial release, the film adaptation of the video games was initially met with strong backlash due to the design of Sonic himself. After the release date was pushed back so that animators could redesign the titular hedgehog, the film came out to mostly positive reviews and box office success.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will see the return of Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic and Jim Carrey as his arch-nemesis Dr. "Eggman" Robotnik. Miles "Tails" Prower, voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba, will be appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as main characters, as the former was previously introduced as a mid-credits cameo in the first film. The sequel is quickly approaching, and with early reviews for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 calling the film fun and action-packed, it looks like Paramount has another hit on their hands.
Ascher, fellow producer Neal H. Moritz, and Sega CEO Haruki Satomi recently spoke with EuroGamer about the upcoming sequel. All expressed their enthusiasm for the sequel and the future exploration of the Sonic franchise, with Ascher mentioning a "Sonic cinematic universe." Check out their original quotes below:
Ascher: We're creating a Sonic cinematic universe, so we knew we were going to add characters, like Tails and Knuckles; new to the films but beloved by gamers all over the world.
Moritz: [Sonic 1] was a great experience for us as filmmakers, and as movie lovers. Now, we're even more excited to expand that world, adding new characters, bigger worlds, a new, incredible journey, and more action and adventure. There are so many places we can go with Sonic
Satomi: We've got a remarkable partnership with Paramount and we are excited to continue expanding the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with them.
Even though video game movies don't always perform well, Paramount is clearly excited to expand the film side of Sonic the Hedgehog. A spinoff series about Knuckles starring Elba has already been announced and is expected to stream on Paramount+ in 2023 with Elba returning. Additionally, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has been confirmed, which means the ending of the upcoming sequel could set up the introduction of other beloved video game characters. And with the comments above, it seems like Paramount truly isn't holding anything back when it comes to expanding Sonic's cinematic universe.
The Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe already has so much potential for material, given the franchise's long history of video game titles. Video game films are often known to flop hard with both critics and audiences, yet Sonic the Hedgehog appears to be the exception to this rule. What made the first installment a hit was that it stayed true to the spirit of the main character and remembered to have fun. If Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is as successful as its predecessor or does better, then the producers and Sega might have something truly special on their hands.
Source: EuroGamer