The phrase "hit movie based on a video game" is not one that gets used frequently. And yet it's about all there is that can be said about the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. While I'm fairly certain it came out a million years ago before global pandemics became the norm, the film was one of the last movies to get a solid theatrical run. And it made the most of its time, becoming the third highest grossing movie of 2020 and one of the most successful video game adaptations ever. Now with a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is on the way.
The sequel was given the green light just after it was released to a strong reception from both fans and critics. And now, only a year after the first movie came out, the second one is in production. Director Jeff Fowler made the announcement that the movie is happening on Twitter, which will likely make a lot of fans of the first movie very happy.
Sonic the Hedgehog made over $300 million at the global box office, and was probably still good for a few more bucks if movie theaters hadn't closed down. But even with that total the movie was a solid hit. It wasn't the highest grossing movie ever based on a video game, but numbers like that are the sort that make sequels happen. And that's exactly what happened here. The movie already has a release date in April of next year, so the movie is right on schedule in terms of production.
The first movie ended with a sequel tease that showed Sonic the Hedgehog video game character Tails, Sonic's frequent sidekick, make the jump from his world to the "real world" looking for Sonic. Beyond that, we don't really know what the next movie will actually be about. There have been rumors that another video game character, Knuckles the echidna, will appear. But nothing has been confirmed in that regard quite yet. Fans were campaigning for Dwayne Johnson to be cast in the role, and as far as we know, that's still a possibility.
All in all the turn around on this whole movie has been even faster than we're used to seeing with a sequel to a successful film. Which, I suppose considering the subject matter, isn't too much of a shock. At the same time, filming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 right now might make even more sense than most other films. Assuming that the sequel follows the structure of the first film, we're going to see a lot of humans interacting with CGI characters. Which, if nothing else, should allow for easier social distancing on set.
