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Sonic The Hedgehog Racing to the Big Screen in 2018

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by

Jay Curd
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SEGA has announced that its most iconic video game character Sonic the Hedgehog will finally be racing onto the big screen in 2018 in a CGI/live action crossover which will be produced by Sony Pictures.

The feature-length Sonic film will see the spiky blue hedgehog with a need for speed make another transition from his 16-bit origins on the SEGA Mega Drive in 1991 (or Genesis in some regions) to a brand new medium after previously leaping to cartoon in 1993 and also a series of comic books which have spanned across three decades. His likeness has appeared in dozens of gaming titles crossing all major platforms and also mobile and smart devices, and the character has lived on long after SEGA stopped making its own consoles.

Surprisingly, throughout his lengthy career as not only a gaming legend but a pop culture icon Sonic has never appeared in a feature film, so the news today rings loud through social media. Even the official Sonic Twitter account has been teasing us about the big screen project by sharing a video of Super Mario Bros movie which they call ‘leaked footage of the new Sonic movie’ and a fake mock-up of Danny DeVito cast as the hedgehog’s arch nemesis Dr. Robotnik has surfaced, which we think is actually pretty good casting.

A quote taken from SEGA CEO Hajime Satomi’s official announcement of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie reads:

“Sega Sammy Group is currently planning with Sony Pictures to create a live-action and animation hybrid ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie scheduled for release in 2018. Like with this CG animation production, we would like to expand our business into other entertainment areas beyond what we are currently involved.”

Many will ask ‘why now?’ Surely the opportune time to release a Sonic movie would have been during the height of his popularity in the nineties? But bearing in mind the lacklustre reception of the latest game in the series – Sonic Boom – now is actually a perfect time to shift gears and refresh the franchise on a new platform. And just look what happened when Nintendo rushed out a Super Mario Bros. movie!

*Actually, we like Super Mario Bros: The Movie we just hope Sonic sticks more to the source material!

Also See: Madeon Composing Music for New Sonic Game?