Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (film)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 2022 film based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog. It will be the second entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series.

The suggestion for a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog was first brought up by Jim Carrey when he envisioned a second film entry where he got to reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik. Following the fairly successful release of Sonic the Hedgehog, director Jeff Fowler and several other cast members expressed an interest in developing a sequel that incorporated more elements from the Sonic games, with James Marsden in particular being revealed to have signed up for multiple sequels to the film. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was later officially confirmed in May 2020, with most of the previous film's cast set to reprise their roles.

The film is scheduled for a release on 8 April 2022.

Plot
After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is ready for more freedom, and Tom and Maddie agree to leave him home while they go on vacation. But, no sooner are they gone, when Dr. Robotnik comes back, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to both build and destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.

Live-action cast

 * James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana, who helped Sonic recover his Rings and defeat Robotnik in the first film, after which he took in Sonic as somewhat of a foster child. Now, Tom has approved of Sonic's desire for more freedom by leaving him home for himself while he and Maddie go on a vacation.
 * Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, an evil human scientist seeking global domination. After being banished to the Mushroom Planet in the first film, he returns to Earth with a new ally seeking an emerald with the power to create and destroy civilizations.
 * Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski, Tom's wife and the respected veterinarian of Green Hills, Montana, who helped Sonic evade Robotnik in the first film. Afterward, she and Tom took in Sonic as somewhat of a foster child. Now, in response to Sonic's desire for more freedom, she and Tom has decided to go on a vacation while letting Sonic stay home.
 * Frank C. Turner as Crazy Carl
 * Natasha Rothwell as Rachel, Maddie's older sister who disapproves of Maddie's marriage with Tom.
 * Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone, Dr. Robotnik's faithful assistant.
 * Adam Pally as Wade Whipple
 * Shemar Moore

Voice cast

 * Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog, an alien anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. Having settled into Green Hills, Sonic is ready for more freedom. However, he soon finds himself called into action when Robotnik returns to Earth seeking an immense power.
 * Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails, an anthropomorphic fox who can fly using his two twin-tails. As Robotnik returns to Earth with a new plan in mind, he teams up with Sonic to stop Robotnik, becoming the former's sidekick.
 * Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, a serious yet gullible anthropomorphic echidna who can climb walls and glide. Having teamed up with Dr. Robotnik, he comes to Earth seeking an emerald of great power.

Undisclosed roles

 * Randall, a supporting character who will only be interacting with the human characters, and specifically not Sonic.

Development
Before the announcement of the film, Jim Carrey revealed in a promotional interview for Sonic the Hedgehog that he could imagine developing the character of Dr. Robotnik for a sequel and that the expansion of the character could lead up to that, stating "I wouldn't mind going to do another one because it was so much fun, first of all, and a real challenge to try to convince people that I have a triple-digit IQ... There is so much room, you know, Robotnik has not reached his apotheosis." It was later stated by Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler in March 2020 that he had planned a potential sequel for Sonic the Hedgehog to involve more elements from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. It was also stated by James Marsden in March 2020 that he had signed on for multiple sequels to Sonic the Hedgehog.

In April 2020, Marsden revealed that he was interested in a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog that includes other characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game universe, including Tails, who made a mid-credit cameo in Sonic the Hedgehog. Fowler similarly showed an interest in working on a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog that focused on Sonic and Tails' relationship and the development of Dr. Robotnik. Later in April 2020, Ben Schwartz revealed in an interview that he felt that it made sense for Paramount Pictures not to announce a sequel by that point due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, he also mentioned that he was interested in a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog that would feature Tails and a Robotnik that was more in line with his video game portrayals.

Towards the end of April 2020, Patrick Casey, one of the co-writers for Sonic the Hedgehog, revealed that there had been discussions about a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog, although Paramount Pictures had yet to green-light it at the time. Casey also mentioned that Carrey was interested in wearing a fat suit in the potential sequel to make his appearance more similar to Dr. Eggman's. It was also hinted by Casey that a sequel could feature Super Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. Casey hinted as well that the sequel could explore a potential connection between Knuckles the Echidna, a supporting character from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, and the echidna tribe that appeared in the opening sequence for Sonic the Hedgehog.

On 28 May 2020, the sequel was officially announced to be in development by Paramount Pictures and Sega, with Fowler returning to serve as director, Neal Moritz, Toru Nakahara and Tim Miller serving as producers, and Patrick Casey and Josh Miller, who wrote Sonic the Hedgehog, serving as writers. In addition, Tim Miller, Hajime Satomi, and Haruki Satomi return to serve as executive producers and Neal Mortiz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara serve as producers, having co-produced the previous film alongside Takeshi Ito. Production is expected to start in March 2021 under the codename "Emerald Hill". Later, on 8 December 2020, Tyson Hesse, an artist who previously contributed to Sonic the Hedgehog, would return to work on the Sonic the Hedgehog sequel. Joining him were also storyboard artist Fill Marc, whose first live-action project would be this film. Marc's exact words were "I wrapped up work on Lower Decks Season 2 last week. Excited 2 announce I’ve been working on the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Story Team with Jeff Fowler and Tyson Hesse at Blur Studio. My first live action feature coming in 2022".

On 10 February 2021, the official title for the sequel was revealed to be Sonic the Hedgehog 2 by Paramount Pictures on YouTube. Douglas Einar Olsen was also announced to be part of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 storyboard team during the title announcement.

In March 2021, it was reported that Moving Picture Company will provide VFX for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. During May 2021, the synopsis for the story of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released as Paramount submitted a patent to the U.S. Copyright Office catalog.

Casting
In January 2021, Tika Sumpter announced that she would reprise her role as Maddie Wachowski for the film. Later in March 2021, it was revealed that Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey and James Marsden would be reprising their respective roles as Sonic, Dr. Robotnik and Tom Wachowski.

As of January 2021, the crew also held auditions for Knuckles. Also, production is searching for an A-List human cameo to make an appearance in the film. Names like Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock were thrown around, however the big name cameo is still up in the air at this time. In early February 2021, The Iluminerdi reported that Jason Momoa had been offered the role of Knuckles. In August 2021, Idris Elba announced that he will be voicing Knuckles in the film. Soon after, on 29 September 2021, it was announced that Lee Majdoub would reprise his role as Agent Stone for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as well. In December 2021, Colleen O'Shaughnessey confirmed that she would reprise her role as Tails following the first film.

Filming
The filming for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is set to take place between March 2021 and May 2021 and is expected to take place in Vancouver and Hawaii. Director Jeff Fowler later confirmed via Twitter on 15 March 2021 that the production of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had begun. Filming concluded in Vancouver on 12 May 2021, while filming on Hawaii concluded on 25 June 2021.

Music
The first teaser for the film was given a remix of Emerald Hill Zone's music, the iconic first Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Masato Nakamura, the composer for the first two main Sonic the Hedgehog games, expressed excitement for his song appearing in the film: "When I composed the music for "Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2", I tried to write a soundtrack for a movie. I imagined the game like a movie. 30 years later, my music for the game becomes a part of the movie soundtrack of "Sonic the Hedgehog". Literally, it's a dream come true."

Marketing
On 8 July 2021, the Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-quill comic series was announced. This four-part miniseries will serve as a prequel the movie and will feature Sonic adjusting to his new life in Green Hills as boredom starts to set in, leaving it to Tom and Maddie to help Sonic keep his secrets now that he has gotten a taste of the heroics. Additionally, new and returning characters starring in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will take the lead in stories of their own.

Release
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is scheduled for a public release on 8 April 2022. It was later confirmed by Paramount Pictures that both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would be released on Paramount+ with the latter being added after its theatrical release.