“Sonic the Hedgehog” was a tale of redemption. Rather, the story of the production and promotion of that film, based on a classic videogame franchise by Sega, became a tale of how a Hollywood studio redeemed what seemed like a costly mistake in the eyes of fans. Delaying “Sonic” by three months so that the visual effects team can revamp the initial, ill-received design of the main character was a costly move that was ultimately vindicated. One can check box office ratings for early 2020 to confirm that success. It is no wonder that a movie sequel was green-lit, and Paramount has recently reconfirmed its obvious title and release date.
Gaming and entertainment website IGN (but of course) tells us that a
sequel to Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog,” one of the last 2020
blockbusters to make bank in cinemas before the COVID-19 crisis, is getting a
sequel coming out next year. The studio posted on their official “Sonic” movie Twitter
page this past Wednesday, February 10, to remind fans of the release date, as
well as to cement the title of the follow-up to what is considered the current top-grossing
videogame film in North America. They even made a big deal about the title
convention, when any franchise fan could just see it coming.
As seen from the attached video, Paramount went and reused the title animations from the first film but with a graphical addition, confirming the title as “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” The number gets a cheeky Easter egg due to having two “tails,” referencing Sonic’s sidekick Miles Prowler aka Tails, a fox with two tails that he can spin a la helicopter rotors to fly. Surely, if you watched the film last year and stuck around for the after-credits you remember him showing up popping up in Green Hills from a ring portal, searching for Sonic.
If you happen to be a fan from
the original Sega videogames, you might also recognize the background music
with its hints of Genesis-style sound. While the first film made repeated use
of the leitmotif from Green Hill Zone in the 1991 game, this teaser uses the “Emerald Hill” BGM from “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” as in the Sega Genesis sequel where
Tails also happens to be introduced. That pretty much gives away that the cameo
character could have a bigger role in Part 2, but we will have to wait until
the premiere of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” on April 8, 2022. Filming is supposed to
start this March.
Image: Paramount Pictures YouTube page
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