Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Trivia | 70 facts about the new videogame film

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is about to light up the box office and mark a new chapter in the cinematic history of videogame adaptations.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new film.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 2022 action-adventure comedy film
It is based on the video game franchise published by Sega
It is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
The film is directed by Jeff Fowler
It is written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington
In the film stars Ben Schwartz reprising his role as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog
Alongside James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Lee Majdoub, Idris Elba, and Jim Carrey
The film follows Sonic (voiced by Schwartz) and Tails (voiced by O’Shaughnessey) teaming up to find the Master Emerald before Dr. Robotnik (Carrey) and Knuckles (voiced by Elba)
Following the success of the first film, Paramount Pictures announced the sequel in May 2020
Filming took place from March to June 2021 in Vancouver and Hawaii
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was first theatrically released in several international markets, starting on March 30, 2022
It was released in the United States on April 8, by Paramount Pictures in association with Sega Sammy Group
Like its predecessor, the film received mixed reviews from critics
Critics praised its action sequences, performances and humor, but criticized its runtime, screenplay and pacing
A third film and a spin-off series focusing on Knuckles are in development
By April 2020, Marsden had expressed his interest in a sequel featuring several characters from the video games, including Tails, who appeared in a mid-credits scene in the first film
Director Jeff Fowler also expressed interest in developing a sequel that focused on Sonic and Tails’ friendship and further developed Dr. Eggman
Later that month, Schwartz said that he felt it made sense for Paramount Pictures to not have announced a sequel by that point due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Also adding that he was interested in a sequel featuring Tails and a more game-accurate portrayal of Eggman
Later that month, Sonic the Hedgehog co-writer Pat Casey revealed that there had been talks about a sequel
Though the film had not been greenlit by Paramount by that point
He also said that Carrey was interested in wearing a fat suit in a sequel to more closely resemble Eggman’s video game appearance
Casey also hinted that a sequel could feature Sonic’s “Super Sonic” form and the Chaos Emeralds from the video games
Also expressing a desire to introduce the characters of Knuckles the Echidna and Amy Rose
Knuckles’ existence was hinted at with the echidna tribe seen during the first film’s opening sequence
In May, Paramount Pictures confirmed that a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog was in development, with Fowler set to return as director alongside writers Casey and Josh Miller
Neal H. Mortiz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara will produce the sequel
Having previously co-produced the first film alongside Takeshi Ito, while Tim Miller, Hajime Satomi, and Haruki Satomi
All of them will return from the first film as executive producers
In December, it was confirmed by storyboard artist Fill Marc that artist Tyson Hesse, who redesigned Sonic for the first film, would return
The film title was announced as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in February 2021
In May, a synopsis of the story was released as Paramount submitted a patent to the U.S. Copyright Office catalog
The film is inspired by the video games Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but is not a direct adaptation of either
Fowler described the film as “a melting pot” of ideas from several Sonic games
On January 27, 2020, Jim Carrey expressed interest in starring in a sequel, feeling that his character, the villain Dr. Robotnik
On March 6, 2020, Sonic the Hedgehog star James Marsden confirmed that he had signed on for multiple sequels
On January 26, 2021, Tika Sumpter announced that she would reprise her role as Maddie Wachowski
In March 2021, it was announced that Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey would reprise their roles as Sonic and Robotnik respectively
That same month, it was confirmed that Adam Pally would reprise his role as Wade Whipple
In April 2021, James Marsden was confirmed to return as Tom Wachowski
On June 16, 2021, it was announced that Shemar Moore had joined the cast in an undisclosed role
On August 10, 2021, it was announced that Idris Elba had officially joined the cast as the voice of Knuckles the Echidna
That same month, it was confirmed that Natasha Rothwell would reprise her role as Rachel
On September 29, 2021, it was announced that Lee Majdoub would reprise his role as Agent Stone
On December 7, 2021, Colleen O’Shaughnessey announced she will return to voice Miles “Tails” Prower
On January 23, 2022, it was announced that Tom Butler and Elfina Luk would reprise their roles as Commander Walters and the Secretary of Homeland Security
In December 2020, it was reported that the BC Film Commission had listed that the production of the film would occur from March 15 to May 10, 2021, under the working title Emerald Hill, a reference to the opening zone in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game
In January 2021, Tika Sumpter revealed that the film would shoot in both Vancouver and Hawaii
Principal photography began in Vancouver on March 15, 2021, with Brandon Trost serving as cinematographer
As a way to show his gratitude to the crew, Carrey held a raffle on May 7 in order to give away a Chevrolet Blazer; the car was eventually given to a grip
Filming in Vancouver concluded on May 12, 2021
Filming wrapped in Hawaii on June 25, 2021
On December 8, 2021, Tom Holkenborg, who composed the first film, was announced to be returning to compose the film’s score
The film was supported by a single titled “Stars in the Sky” by the American musician Kid Cudi
Visual effects and animation for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was provided by Sega’s Marza Animation Planet and Moving Picture Company, after previously working on the first film
John Whittington was announced as co-screenwriter in August 10, 2021
Additionally, DNEG will also provide the visual effects
In the United States and Canada, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released alongside Ambulance and the wide expansion of Everything Everywhere All at Once
It is projected to gross at least $55 million from 4,232 theaters in its opening weekend, with some estimates going as high as $75 million
The release of the film, whose target audience is people between the ages of 16 and 25, coincided with the start of spring break in 15% of K–12 schools
The film made an estimated $23–26 million on its first day
This include $6.25 million from Thursday night previews, doubling that of the original movie
In France, the film made $1.2 million on its first day of screening, reaching the top spot in the charts and surpassing the first film’s opening day gross by 30%
In international regions, the film opened in 31 markets and grossed $26.1 million in its first weekend
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 68%
Based on 113 reviews
With an average rating of 6/10
The site’s critical consensus reads, “It isn’t as much fun as the little blue guy’s greatest games, but if you enjoyed the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 serves as a generally acceptable sequel”
Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 31 critics
Indicating “mixed or average reviews