He may not be at the same level of popularity he was at in the 1990s, but Sonic the Hedgehog still endures after all these years, and along with Sega still churning out video games centered around the super fast mammal, the character will soon be leading his own movie. After originally being announced in 2014, it was announced last year that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie will be distributed by Paramount Pictures after Sony Pictures dropped it. But rather than be an entirely animated affair, Sonic the Hedgehog will be a live action/CGI hybrid, and there's word that Paul Rudd is being eyed to play the human lead.
Rather than being tapped to voice Sonic the Hedgehog for his proper cinematic debut (the character has previously cameoed in Wreck-It Ralph and Ready Player One), That Hashtag Show reports that Paul Rudd is being looked at to play Tom, a police officer who befriends Sonic and will likely help the main protagonist and his fellow animal allies help stop the main villain, Robotnik, a.k.a. Doctor Eggman. Primarily known as a comedy actor, Paul Rudd has built up some blockbuster cred over his career, particularly by playing Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But rarely does he venture outside of PG-13/R territory, with arguably the biggest exception to this being when he was one of the voices in Monsters vs. Aliens. Assuming Paramount isn't looking to make an intense, PG-13 Sonic the Hedgehog movie (I don't even want to imagine what an R-rated Sonic movie would look like), then this will be a good opportunity for Rudd to reach younger moviegoers.
No specific plot details for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie have been revealed yet, but similar to movies like Enchanted and The Smurfs, it sounds like it will see Sonic and his supporting cast, both good and bad, being transported from their fantastical world into the real world. Cue wacky shenanigans, although in the midst of learning their way around our reality, Sonic and the gang will ahem to prevent Doctor Eggman from hatching (see what I did there?) his sinister machinations. Production is reportedly beginning in Vancouver, with the budget being around $90 million, so ideally will know soon whether or not Rudd is officially signed on, as well as learn who else will be part of the cast.
Directed by Jeff Fowler, produced by Tim Miller and written by Patrick Casey and Josh Miller, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie races into theaters on November 15, 2019, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates as they come in. Don't forget to look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what major motion pictures will arrive later this year.
