We already guessed it was happening thanks to the recent movie doing so well at the box office, not to mention its sequel-teasing post-credits scene, but now we know for sure – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is officially a go. Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy confirmed this Thursday that development has begun on a follow-up to the first cinematic adaptation of the blue super-speedster.
Variety broke the news, revealing that Jeff Fowler is returning to direct, with the script coming from the minds of Pat Casey and Josh Miller once again. At this early stage, the trade notes that no decisions have been made in terms of casting. However, it seems a safe bet to imagine that Ben Schwartz will be back as the voice of Sonic, as will James Marsden as his human pal Tom and, of course, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. Carrey hasn’t always been keen on sequels, but he’s already expressed interest in portraying his villainous character a second time.
In some ways, it’s surprising that Paramount has taken this long to officially announce the news. In contrast to the bad luck that’s historically plagued video game movies, Sonic sprinted to success back in February, earning itself the honor of having the highest-grossing opening weekend of any video game flick, not to mention the fourth biggest Presidents’ Day weekend debut ever. It also did well on VOD when it released earlier than intended once the lockdown started.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has yet to be given a release date or, at this stage, even a production start date. This is likely due to both the project only just getting the greenlight and because of the general uncertainty in the movie business given the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll be sure to update you as more news comes in, though.