Last week the internet was sent into a tizzy with the news (broken by Deadline) that Jim Carrey is in talks to play the villain in an upcoming adaptation of Sega’s hit video game Sonic the Hedgehog. That villain is Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist with a roadkill-sized moustache who is the spiky blue hero’s arch nemesis.
Not much is known about the movie. Even at this early stage, however, it has ‘blockbuster’ written all over it, given the immense brand familiarity of the Sonic franchise. We’ve cobbled together all the information we do know to give you some idea of what to expect.
It was announced in May that James Marsden, who is best-known for TV’s Westworld, will star in the film. However it is unclear what role he will play. It seems unlikely that he will play the title character (who will presumably be CGI animated). But hey: if you look at Marsden’s face and squint, he kind of sort of maybe looks a bit like Sonic.
Fellow American Tika Sumpter, a model and actress, has been cast as Marsden’s co-star. But again it is not known what role she will play.
Deadpool director Tim Miller will serve as executive producer, and the film will be directed by Jeff Fowler. Fowler is an American filmmaker and animator who was Oscar-nominated for writing and directing a 2014 short animated film called Gopher Broke.
The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has sold more than 80 million physical copies of games and over 350 million units of software and mobile downloads. The film is expected to be released some time next year, marking the first time that Sonic has been adapted for the big screen.
