Sonic the Hedgehog sequel officially in development, original writers and director returning

It’s hard to believe, but Hollywood may just finally be starting to get video game movies right. After continuous misses in the genre over the years, we are starting to finally see a few shining stars, with 2019’s Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog both setting records for the genre when they were released. And proving to be successful with many critics too. This was perhaps especially surprising for the latter, considering all the drama around Sonic’s initial design that led to much laughter (and nightmares) on the internet and led many to believe it would just be another in a long line of flops from the genre.

Sonic the Hedgehog hit all the right notes thanks to its new look and a great sense of humour, and as a result Paramount Pictures have confirmed that the film is officially getting a sequel, according to a new report from Variety. While the report doesn’t make any mention of the entire cast all returning to their roles, it does mention the return of director Jeff Fowler and co-writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller. Given that most actors have clauses in their contract for possible future films if a sequel is decided, it’s likely we will be seeing most of the main cast return for the sequel.

For fans who saw the movie, a sequel is perhaps not too much of a surprise considering a certain post-credit scene set the film up for one perfectly. Knowing that the film was an actual success despite all of its production issues and the fact that it still hasn’t been released in China thanks to COVID-19, is a sign that people really resonated with Sonic and loved how he was brought to life.

As excited as I’m sure everyone is for Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) along with James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, to me the real scene-stealer was Jim Carrey for his portrayal as Dr Robotnik/Eggman. Yes, it was cheesy, but it was right out of the Carrey playbook from his breakout movies in the 90s and a reminder of just how talented he is when he is allowed to be crazy on set. We don’t have a release date for the sequel just yet, but its great to see a video game movie find the success it deserves. It gives me hope that other big films like Uncharted or Borderland could also prove to be successfully adapted too.