Sega, Paramount Pictures and Marza Animation Planet have joined forces to produce an animation and real-life movie about the popular video game Sonic the Hedgehog. Such a hybrid project is currently in pre-production and already starting to take a form, since recently it’s been announced that Jim Carrey joins the already confirmed James Marsden and Tika Sumpter to incarnate Dr. Robotnik, the villain of the show.
Appeared for the first time in 1991 for the gaming platform Sega Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog became one of the most popular video games in the 1990s, with the permission of its competitor Super Mario for Nintendo. Sonic, the protagonist, is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with supersonic speed, capable of reaching the speed of sound. Typically, Sonic must stop antagonist Doctor Eggman‘s plans for world domination. In the game sequels, Sonic had the help of his sidekicks Tails, Amy and Knuckles in order to be able to complete his missions.
Allegedly the producers intend to repeat the formula that was a huge success a few decades ago with Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Multifaceted actor Jim Carrey already was in a project of similar sorts with The Mask (1994), the movie which pushed him into the undebatable stardom as the king of facial comedy. Now, after a series of titles like The Bad Batch (2016), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), The Number 23 (2007) and, overall, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) where he has explored (and I must say with really impressive positive results) his darker and more dramatic acting side, this seems to be a step back to his origins where his histrionic and hysterical grimaces might have no limit. That doesn’t mean the actor had left comedy aside, pictures like Dumb and Dumber To (2014), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) or Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011) has always been there. Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik seems to be the perfect role for Jim Carrey. A mad scientist from head to toe who plans to conquer the world in order to build his own Eggman Empire. His army of machines, robots and all kinds of crazed gadgets could be a perfect source of hilarity in the hands of Carrey.
The screenplay for Sonic the Hedgehog (2019) has been written by Josh Miller and Patrick Casey, writers of horror comedy Transylmania (2009) and the series 12 Deadly Days (2016– ), together with Oren Uziel, author of the scripts for The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), 22 Jump Street (2014), Shimmer Lake (2017) and the announced upcoming Mortal Kombat remake. Jeff Fowler, who was the director of nominated for Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2005 Gopher Broke (2004), is set to direct. Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool (2016), is executive producer.