Paramount Pictures' Sonic the Hedgehog movie adaptation has been a smash hit at the box office two weeks in a row, likely in part thanks to the Blue Blur's huge fanbase going into his silver screen adventure. Those long-time fans have noticed the absence of Sonic's Chaos Emeralds, a collectible featured as early as his 1991 introduction on the Sega Genesis, but director Jeff Fowler says that they were almost included in the film.
Fowler said it "didn't make sense" to bring in the mythology behind the Chaos Emeralds and Super Sonic in an interview published Thursday, because the movie was a simpler origin story for Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). They were apparently considered in early drafts of Sonic the Hedgehog, but shelved to instead focus on nailing those characters.
However, Fowler also said that they could potentially "open it up to some of those elements from the games that fans know and love" in a sequel, which makes sense given the movie's post-credits scene. In another portion of the interview, Fowler talks about Sonic's friend and rival Knuckles potentially also being in a sequel given he was not included for similar reasons.
The Sonic movie's success, particularly compared to other video game adaptations, all but guarantees it will have a follow-up produced sometime in the near future. Now that the hedgehog has gotten his "simpler" introduction to a mainstream moviegoing audience, the doors seem wide open for Paramount and Sega to add all the deep-cut lore and characters they want for his second outing.
Looking back to 2019 when Sonic the Hedgehog was first making the rounds, it's surprising that the possibility of a sequel is up in the air at all. When Sonic's original creepy design was first unveiled, fans and casual audiences alike complained enough that he was completely overhauled with a design by Tyson Hesse — clearly to the movie's benefit.
A more faithful and adorable design for the character, alongside the press he received for that original blunder, helped propel Sonic to film stardom. If he does receive a sequel featuring the Chaos Emeralds and Knuckles, perhaps designers should look to Santa Monica Studio's Art Director Raf Grassetti for inspiration on how to make the echidna work in live-action too.
Sonic the Hedgehog is available to watch in theaters now.
Source: ComicBook.com