Sonic 2 has entered development

(Image credit: Paramount)

Development is kicking off on a sequel to this year's live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie.

As confirmed by Variety, the follow-up will see 2020's Sonic director Jeff Fowler and screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller reunite to further the story. As things are still very much in the early stages of development, casting details are still under wraps. Likewise, with the pandemic complicating filming schedules, it's unclear when production might begin on the Sonic sequel. THR has also confirmed development has begun on a Sonic the Hedgehog follow-up.

In response to widespread movie theater closures, the live-action original got an early digital release in March, only a few weeks after its theatrical premiere in February. Despite the unfortunate release timing, the Sonic movie exceeded critical expectations and sold enough seats for Paramount to greenlight a sequel a short number of months after its debut. Of course, mid-credits scenes from the movie basically confirmed, at the very least, intention to make a sequel.

GamesRadar+ sister publication Total Film said the Sonic movie exceeded "the abyssal low expectations it started out with," with Jordan Farley highlighting the "flashes of creativity" spaced throughout a feature-length barrage of sight gags and silly Jim Carrey antics.

Despite initial reactions to the live-action Sonic's character design being near-universally negative, the Sonic movie ended up the highest-grossing video game movie of all time. With that in mind, it's really no surprise Paramount is zipping ahead with a Sonic sequel.

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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.