Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is building on the ground of its predecessor by drawing from two iconic Sonic the Hedgehog titles – the same-titled game sequel and Sonic and Knuckles. Of course, a cinematic Sonic franchise is already in the works, but Paramount and director Jeff Fowler don’t have to worry about running out of material, as there are three decades worth of video games to pull from. Fowler already has thoughts about the third film and future sequels, but he’s keeping his cards close before the second film arrives. The Sonic 2 director explained how the treasure trove of Sonic games will influence future sequels.
The source material already has a plethora of imagery and characters that Jeff Fowler can dive into for future Sonic storylines. With video games dropping every few years, the Sonic director will have an endless supply for years to come. With Sonic the Hedgehog 3 currently in development, fans might think the film’s gaming predecessor would be the next logical choice to get the big-screen treatment. That’s far from the truth, as the filmmaker mentioned to IGN that the next sequels won’t follow a linear progression:
It’s not always going to be a linear progression of like ‘Oh, this was in Sonic 2 so it’s going to be in the Sonic 2 film’. It’s going to be a little bit of a cherry picking, a little bit of a melting pot. There’s so much great, inspiring imagery to pull from the 30 years of games. So, if we didn’t get it in one film, there’s always the chance that we’ll revisit it somewhere else.
So viewers can expect the franchise to hop around quite a bit. Jeff Fowler isn’t trying to follow the video game trajectory of these characters. He wants to grab from the litany of titles and mix and match them for the silver screen. That sounds like the best idea given that the films are borrowing from the games while trying to forge their identity outside of the beloved franchise.
The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director already has plans for the film series, as he mentioned having a tough time cherry-picking despite having his favorites amongst the iconic gaming series. He already has fans hyped for more Sonic as he teased the sequel will feature tons of Easter eggs.
Sonic 2 is paving the way for more sequels, as the film gained positive to mixed reviews from critics. Of course, the developing franchise is already in motion, as Sonic 3 and a Knuckles live-action spinoff series are in the works. So the Sonic universe is continuing to expand, even stretching beyond the film series.
While the video game franchise is bound to entertain millions for years to come, moviegoers will get to see who obtains the Master Emerald first – Sonic and Tails, or Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles – when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits theaters on April 8. The video game sequel is one of the upcoming movies set to stir some excitement at the box office this spring.