Red sneakers at the ready, people – a sequel to this year’s Sonic the Hedgehog is currently in development.
Reported first by Variety, Paramount and Sega Sammy announced the news on Thursday. The sequel will reunite the talents behind the previous movie, including director Jeff Fowler, with Pat Casey and Josh Miller to pen the script.
Meanwhile, Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher and Toru Nakahara are producing the film, while Hajime Satomi, Haruki Satomi and Tim Miller are executive producing. As of the time of writing, the film is merely in its early development stages, meaning no news on the production start date.
News of a sequel is perhaps not all that surprising. Sonic the Hedgehog earned more than $300 million on just an $85 million budget. Meanwhile, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, earning a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads: “Fittingly fleet and frequently fun, Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game-inspired adventure the whole family can enjoy—and a fine excuse for Jim Carrey to tap into the manic energy that launched his career.” It’s considered one of the best video game-based movies ever made.
Where the sequel could proceed from in regards to the first Sonic is anyone’s guess. The ending scene featured a cameo appearance from Miles “Tails” Prower, Sonic’s infamous two-tailed Fox sidekick from the games and various animated shows. This may imply that the character will have a larger role in the sequel.
Jim Carrey’s Robotnik is also trapped in an alternate dimension and forced to fend for himself. But given Carrey’s star power and excellent performance in the first movie, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think he’ll return for Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
