‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Sequel is Officially in the Works

Faster than you can say “gotta go fast,” a Sonic the Hedgehog sequel has been greenlit. Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy announced that development has begun on a sequel to 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, after the incredible box office success of the video game adaptation earlier this year, despite being cut short by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy were fast to pick up a Sonic the Hedgehog sequel, announcing that a follow-up to the live-action family comedy is now in the works. Variety reports that director Jeff Fowler is set to return to the director’s chair for the sequel, as are screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller. However, there is no decision yet made in regards to casting or a production start date.

Sonic the Hedgehog hit theaters in February and quickly sped to the top of the box office charts, scoring the No. 1 opening weekend of all time for a video game movie and taking the fourth-best Presidents Day weekend debut. But its successful box office run was cut short by the coronavirus crisis, which shuttered theaters across the country in March. But Sonic the Hedgehog success streak continued on home video, with Paramount releasing the film early on VOD.

The film’s box office success is kind of amazing considering the lukewarm reviews, though plenty of critics were pleasantly surprised by the adaptation of the popular Sega video game franchise, with some even praising it as one of the best feature film adaptations of a video game. Those raves were more than a little hyperbolic, as Sonic the Hedgehog is a mostly mediocre movie that is saved by an insane Jim Carrey performance. Still, all this is an unlikely success story for a film that was famously eviscerated on the internet after the first trailer showed a terrifyingly uncanny version of the beloved blue hedgehog, pushing the filmmakers to redesign the title character completely.

Sonic the Hedgehog — which followed the world’s fastest hedgehog, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), as he makes a home for himself on Earth and befriends a small-town detective named Tom (James Marsden) to battle the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Carrey) — teased a sequel with an end credits scene that introduced the beloved character Tails, Sonic’s best friend, sidekick, and most frequent ally. It’s likely the sequel will follow up with that introduction and show Sonic and Tail’s first meeting, as well as Robotnik’s scheme for revenge.

Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher and Toru Nakahara are producing the Sonic the Hedgehog sequel, while Hajime Satomi, Haruki Satomi and Tim Miller are executive producing.