Sonic The Hedgehog had the bizarre luck to be one of the last major films released before the Coronavirus pandemic shut down theaters across the U.S. and most of the world. This put what was a fairly decent film adaptation for kids in the unusual position of being one of the biggest, and arguably one of the best, films of 2020. While its box office has been slightly outclassed by films like Tenet, the delays for movies like Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984, which would have almost certainly out-earned the blue blur, have left it in the top 5 of the year.
That said, the film was going to get a sequel regardless of the pandemic. The brand is huge and Sonic is one of those properties that seems to survive even the worst setbacks, so a continuation was going to be inevitable unless the film completely bombed. Now things are slightly more official however, as the Creative BC Film Commission has released some documents that indicate that the next film is already underway, and provides some details about the schedule, and the cute nickname chosen for the project.
According to the documents, production on the film is codenamed "Emerald Hill," which, fittingly enough, is the very first area in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game. Is that significant? It's possible, but it's probably best not to read too much into it. While it may be a wink towards the video game continuity or a reference to the first appearance of Tails, who was teased at the end of the first film, it's more likely that it's just a fitting codename to use while the film waits on its official name to be revealed.
In the meantime, the documents also show that the project is being developed by Red Energy films, and the production is set to go from March 15, 2021 to May 10, 2021. The first film is now available to buy pretty much anywhere and features James Marsden as Sonic battling Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik. The sequel is set to release sometime in 2022 assuming production goes smoothly, and it has been hinted that Carrey will be returning as an even more over-the-top Eggman which is certainly something to look forward to.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is currently set to release April 8, 2022.
Source: ComicBook