by: Madison Barnes
It’s recently been confirmed that a movie adaptation of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is in development at Columbia Pictures, with the studio going for a dark, edgy version skewed towards older audiences! NOT ONLY this, but the studio plans to make it a mix of live-action and animation, allowing the much loved character to really meld with reality. For those of us who played the classic Sega video game as kids (or if you’re still playing it right now), this could be an adventure ride for the ages. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a bad ass version of Sonic?!
Original Films and SEGA are onboard to finance, with Neal Moritz and Toby Ascher producing. Hannah Minghella and Foster Driver are overseeing the project as executives at Columbia.
The only thing to do now is find a writer for the project, and an awesome shortlist has already been put together with some real heavy hitters:
- Brad Bird (“Incredibles, “”Wall-E,” “Brave,” “Toy Story 2,” “Up”)
- Wernick & Reese (“Deadpool,” “Monsters Inc,” “Zombieland,” “GI Joe Retaliation”)
- David Berenbaum (“The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “Elf”)
- Phil Johnston (“Wreck it Ralph” and “Nebraska”)
Sonic has a long history, as it’s been adapted for the small screen numerous times in the past – once as an animated movie (1996) and once as an animated television series (1993). This project currently in development, however, will bring an entirely new edge to the story, revealing the darker side of the blue hedgehog. It’s a smart move by Columbia, as many fans of the original game are now into their late 20’s to early 30’s, and would need a stronger draw to get them into the theater. It also allows relatively new fans to join in – those who only know Sonic from the new Nintendo Wii versions or their Android/iPhone devices. Someone at Columbia is either a huge fan of the hedgehog themselves, or they just have a really good sense of the current market. Either way we are not complaining, as the movie could be a really big hit if development continues in this direction.
Everybody here at the Tracking-Board is anxiously awaiting its arrival to the big screen and we’ll keep you posted as more details emerge!
34 Comments
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I’m glad to see that the best game in the series is finally getting a movie.
Sam Dickerman isn’t at Sony anymore.
Can’t believe this is happening, I’m so happy!! Also I like the tone this movie is aiming at, hope is like the Sonic Adventure 2 game, that game’s story feels like a movie itself.
I’m sorry, but…..
A dark and edgy Sonic movie? Why the hell would anyone think that would be a good idea? Why on Earth would you take a children’s video game series about a cartoonish blue superhero hedgehog who fights a fat, goofy-looking moustached mad scientist with the help of a young fox with two tails who can fly by rotating them with a helicopter, a pink hedgehog girl who wields a giant mallet like she’s Wakko from Animaniacs, and a hot-headed numb-skulled red echidna who punches through rocks, climbs walls and glides, and try to make all of that serious and intense? The Sonic series is supposed to have bright colors, cartoony physics, and a light hearted tone; it’s not supposed to be edgy all the time! I really hope this is just a false rumor.
i am with you… this is why shadow the hedgehog and sonic 06 failed. Even if this is real, they need to make it fun.
Meh. I say it’ll be good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8nn8yNURdw&list=WL&index=13
It’s SUPER MARIO BROS all over again.
Sonic can’t do Dark and Edgy seriously.
This is doomed to fail.
You know how the dumb Smurfs movies are leading to a regular classic style cg movie? Maybe this will be the lead for that as well. It’ll probably be released alongside Ratchet and Clank the movie as well.
Sonic SatAM was a more dark and edgy imagining of it, in which Sonic was actually part of a group of freedom fighters battling against a truely evil version of Robotnik who had turned the capital city of Mobotropolis into a dystopia called Robotropolis.
And he had basically enslaved most of the population, was trying to screw over all of Mobius, etc.
This is gonna suck so hard….
Sonic has had 4 (soon to be 5) animated TV series.
AoSTH (1993)
SatAM (1993-1994)
Sonic underground (1999-2000)
Sonic X (2003-2006)
Sonic boom(2014)
More than one movie, too, I’m pretty sure. This article rather exemplifies what most of us are once again coming to expect out of Hollywood these days, sadly – bad crew-choices, terribly inaccurate adaptations and an utter lack of research. Let us know when they hire some real writers and a cast and crew who know *and care* enough about the source material to do it right.
Before you say it, no; having the creator overseeing everything isn’t enough to keep an adaptation loyal or make it good in its own right – we saw that with Jo Rowling and the Harry Potter series.
I think some people took the “Dark Knight” comparission a little too far, all we know is that this movie will be darker and edgier than the current Sonic games, which I think is a really good change of pace, but we don’t know yet how serious it will be so it’s too soon to judge.
I am open for it. As a huge Sonic fan I have had a lot of disappointment in recent years. But we know there are such things as good Sonic storylines based on sonic adventure and its sequel. Also sonic boom looks like a sstep in the right direction for the game series
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Dark and edgy? Like SatAM Sonic? That sounds awesome!! Can’t wait! :D
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I really hope this is true, and I don’t understand why some people complain about Sonic being dark and edgy, I mean any Pixar or DreamWorks movie out there is undoubtly darker and edgier than how Sonic is right now, of course I don’t want them to make it as dark as the Shadow the hedgehog game but I’m sure the big hollywood suits won’t commit such an obvious past mistake as that one, in my personal opinion the movie should be like the Sonic Adventure games in tone, scope and character development.
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Y DO U DO THIS?!?!
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Sonic was adapted to 3 different cartoons in the 90s, not just one. Also at least 2 different comic books were started at that time as well.
I seriously hope that “Eggman” is portrayed like Robotnik was during the Freedom Fighters cannon, because that was actually an evil villain instead of some bumbling idiot who surrounded himself with even more idiotic robot minions.
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I hope it’s true.
This is the best that could happen. It could push Sonic back on track. Epic fights with robots, powerful entities, SuperSonic, Shadow wreaking havoc, Knuckles punching SuperSonic into face! Robotnik creating an evil empire on a big screen! Chaos blast and chaos control on a big screen! E-series robots, ancient gods,… so much potential to make an edgy movie that will be full of action and excitement. It’s been a while since the last Sonic game had any good action. It was lately only talking to colorful creatures and laughing at food jokes that are not funny. I want to see Sonic saving the world, not saving little critters with bubble heads. I want see other Sonic characters having real personalities. I want to see an evil Eggman – and most importantly – GENIUS Eggman. Today in games, Eggman is no longer genius. He has no plan or a laughable stupid plan that falls apart without any Sonic intervention. They made Eggman into Coyote from Looney Toons (and Sonic into Road Runner from Looney Toons). I want to see Eggman scoring some real victory. I want to believe that he really is a genius.
Hopefully this movie succeeds. And if that happens, next movie should be full on Shadow. Aside of people who have weird reasons for hating this character, there are many people who just like Sonic franchise for cool spectacular show. And Shadow can provide that. And Sonic can provide that too when he is pushed by serious circumstances. Metal Sonic, Mephiles… all of these villains have a chance to star on the big screen. I am just so hyped.
But I fear it might end badly. I just hope that it will not. Because Sonic is not doing really well with his childish games today. If the serious approach that made him famous and dangerous rival of Mario failed too, Sonic would finally become irrelevant for good.
All I can say is wow. THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING! And people are saying Sega can’t do it, PFFFT. Cause in sonic SATAM that totally wasn’t dark and edgy, right? Robotnik taking people as his slaves, destroying all he could, because complete destruction and slaverly is totally NOT dark and edgy, right? RIGHT?
The Sonic franchise has gone through too much stereotyping as “Just for kids”. I’m glad people are taking this approach for the movie. Remember, SA2 was dark, and people loved it.