The popular videogame series is finally hitting the big screens.
Sonic the Hedgehog is getting a movie, even if it’s a decade or two too late.
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet have teamed to develop a hybrid CG-animated/live-action feature film based on the popular Sonic The Hedgehog videogame series.
The movie will be written by Evan Susser and Van Robichaux and produced by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film banner, along with Marza’s Takeshi Ito and Mie Onishi. Toby Ascher will serve as an executive producer, while Dmitri Johnson and Dan Jevons will be involved as co-producers.
The film will look to capture Sonic’s irreverent tone and spirit, reuniting him with some of the most revered and infamous characters of the franchise, including the evil Dr Eggman.
Playful, mischievous, and quick on his feet in more ways than one, the world’s fastest hedgehog is known for his ability to move at supersonic speed to protect his friends from their enemies.
For more than two decades, Sonic has been one of the world’s biggest gaming icons and a US$1bil (RM3.2bil) franchise with more than 140 million games sold.
“There are limitless stories to tell with a character like Sonic the hedgehog, and a built-in international fan base. Along with our wonderful creative partners at Marza, we’re looking to capture everything that generations of fans know and love about Sonic while also growing his audience wider than ever before,” said Columbia Pictures’ president of production Hannah Minghella, who will oversee the project for Sony along with Andrea Giannetti.
“Sonic has had dozens of adventures on the console and the small screen, and we’re thrilled that he’s now coming to the big screen. Sony Pictures has had great success with hybrid animated and live-action features, and we’re confident that this collaboration will bring a fresh take to Sonic, while still capturing everything that the fans love about him,” added Masanao Maeda, CEO of Marza Animation Planet.
Marza is a leading CG animation production company with the vision to create films for the global market from Japan. It plans to release one feature-length film each year.
Susser and Robichaux are alumni of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. Their feature script Chewie was ranked No.3 on the 2011 Black List. They are currently writing the TV series How To Grow Up, which being developed at CBS, as well as the feature film Fist Fight, which will star Max Greenfield (New Girl). The duo are also writing a live-action version of The Jetsons. — Reuters
Comments are closed.