The reaction to the live-action design for Sonic the Hedgehog in his upcoming cinematic debut was a veritable catastrophe. While Sonic’s games have been hit-or-miss for the better part of 20 years now, one unifier has always been fans’ love for the titular speedster. Sonic is cool. Way past cool, as a matter of fact. Since 1992, Sonic has been one of the most recognizable characters in the video game industry and pop culture at large.
Recognizable until the polarizing movie design arrived and hit the internet like a ton of bricks, that is. Here’s the trailer:
The reaction by fans across social media was instantaneous and more than a little outraged. So much so that the director of the film, Jeff Fowler, personally took to Twitter to apologize, declared the character would be getting a visual overhaul, and then subsequently announced that Sonic the Hedgehog will arrive in theaters in 2020 rather than 2019. It’s been radio silence since then, but one of the film’s producers, Tim Miller of Deadpool fame and the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate, recently sat down with Variety to discuss the project.
“When Sonic arrived, the director, Jeff Fowler, was the best guy to do it. The redesign? Look, I was with fans and so was Jeff. This is a franchise, and it has to be great. When the s–t hit the fan, I went over there and said, ‘The most important thing to do, man, is say, ‘I f-ked up.” He’d already sent a tweet out an hour before I got there. He’s a good man. It was exactly the right way to handle that. The fans have a voice in this too. There’s a right way to listen.”
When asked if he’d seen the redesign for Sonic, he responded “In fact I have. And I think the fans will be pleased.” When fans will get to see the fruits of Fowler and company’s labors in reworking Sonic into a more lovable version of himself is anyone’s guess, but it’s still encouraging to hear that everyone working on the movie is striving to create a product that will please as many people as possible. Are you encouraged by Miller’s words? Sound off in the comments!
Source: Variety