Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is officially in production.

(Given the subject matter, we assume it will be a very quick shoot.)

The announcement that shooting was underway on the sequel to the hit 2020 video-game adaptation was made by director Jeff Fowler on Twitter, who wrote “Lights, camera, hedgehog. Production on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 starts TODAY!” He also shared the first photo from the set of the movie, which shows a director’s chair featuring the new film’s logo — which makes it clear that Sonic’s long-time video game buddy Tails is going to show up this time.

Tails did have a cameo in a post-credits scene during the first Sonic the Hedgehog:

The fact that Sonic is getting a sequel at all is kind of remarkable. The first design for its title character was so widely reviled that the film was postponed while the visual effects artists could completely redesign him to more closely resemble his video-game counterpart. It seemed like an act of desperation, but it worked; thanks to the Covid-related theater closures all summer and fall, Sonic the Hedgehog was the third-highest-grossing movie of 2020 behind only Bad Boys For Life and 1917. All the stars of the first film, including Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, are all expected to return for Sonic 2.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is scheduled to open in theaters on April 8, 2022.

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