Get ready for Sonic to race back onto cinema screens. Dropping just before the pandemic hit in early 2020, Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the biggest surprise hits of last year, so it’s no surprise that Sony fast-tracked a sequel. With Sonic the Hedgehog 2 due out next spring, we’re due to get the first trailer this Thursday at 8pm ET, per The Game Awards. Before that gets here, the studio has shared the first poster for the film, showcasing Sonic, his best pal, and his nemesis.
As posted by the official @SonicMovie Twitter account Wednesday morning, the new poster highlights the alien speedster (as voiced by Ben Schwartz) in the midst of an airborne battle with his old enemy, Dr. Robotnik (a returning Jim Carrey). Meanwhile, Tails (video game actress Colleen O’Shaughnessey) also gets a moment in the spotlight following his cameo in the first movie’s post-credits scene.
The poster’s emphasis is very much on the thrill of having Sonic and Robotnik back, as well as Tails involved this time. Conspicuous for his absence, then, is Knuckles, the echidna guardian of the Master Emerald who will be voiced by Idris Elba in the sequel. That suggests we might not be seeing a whole lot of Knuckles in tomorrow’s trailer, but we can perhaps expect a cameo from him right at the end of the teaser.
As per Knuckles’ first appearance in 1994’s Sonic 3, the sequel will begin with the fan-favorite in an antagonistic role after Carrey’s Eggman tricks him into opposing Sonic and Tails as part of his evil plot to get his own hands on the Master Emerald, which controls all the Chaos Emeralds and gives one the power to create⏤and destroy⏤civilizations.
Also featuring the return of James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Adam Pally, as well as new addition Shemar Moore in an undisclosed role, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is set to hit theaters on April 8, 2022.
