A couple of days ago, Paramount dropped the first trailer for the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie (did anyone even ask for this?) and boy, is it something. The design for the iconic video game character is weird and looks like it would fit right in the 1994 Street Fighter movie. What a disaster. The trailer provoked passionate reactions out of fans, most of whom took to social media and ripped the design to shreds. Fans hated everything about this version of Sonic — its eyes, legs, teeth, colour.
In a surprising turn of events, director Jeff Fowler announced on Twitter that the studio has listened to the criticisms from fans and will revamp the character accordingly. He said:
“Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear… you aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvZaBf9QQI
This is great news as a film like Sonic the Hedgehog requires massive support and positive word of mouth from hardcore fans of the property for it to be a financial success. However, the film is currently set to hit cinemas on 8 November 2019 so it remains to be seen if this redesign will force the studio to push back its release date.
Sonic the Hedgehog official synopsis:
Sonic the Hedgehog is a live-action adventure comedy based on the global blockbuster video game franchise from Sega that centres on the infamously brash, bright blue hedgehog. The film follows the (mis)adventures of Sonic as he navigates the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound — human — best friend Tom Wachowski (James Marsden).
Sonic and Tom join forces to try and stop the villainous Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from capturing Sonic and using his immense powers for world domination. The film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.
