Paramount’s live-action video game adaptation Sonic the Hedgehog was originally set to join next weekend’s box office race also including Doctor Sleep, Last Christmas and Midway. But when the first trailer was revealed back in April, it became a viral flop among fans. Their stickle over Sonic’s unpleasing character design was overwhelming enough for the studio to push back the release three months and get working on a redesign.
Jim Carrey plays the movie’s villain, Dr. Ivo Robtonik in Sonic the Hedgehog and is now sharing some of his thoughts on what happens when the fans win. Here’s what he says:
I believe in auteurs. I believe in creatives. We do what we can do and then technology is going to have its way and people’s opinions are going to have their way. And who knows what it’s going to turn into? You just become their Frankenstein monster at some point, right?
It’s not often that fans share their distaste in a movie prior to a release and the filmmakers decide to just go back to work and shift things around. Paramount is likely losing money on Sonic with redesign reworks happening at a quick pace and not to mention the movie will now open against Birds of Prey and The King’s Man. Jim Carrey poses some interesting words in light of the changes being made to Sonic the Hedgehog to the Sioux City Journal. What happens when creatives give away some creative liberties to please their audience?
But in this instance we are talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, the vastly popular video game character tons of fans grew up with. The issue at hand was that Sonic just didn’t look like Sonic. He had human teeth, long legs and completely different eyes. Some might say the design veered on nightmarish. Although it’s pretty incredible the filmmakers couldn’t anticipate this reaction before, they seem to understand it now as its inspired edits.
Jim Carrey has shared his feelings on the Sonic redesign before, showing some uncertainty on the studio’s decision. He also said he’s “not super concerned about it” as a whole, awaiting how it will pan out just as fans are. An alleged spotting of the Sonic the Hedgehog redesign was spotted over the weekend, bringing out the optimism back to fans of the Sega franchise. Take a look:
Sonic executive producer Tim Miller, who directed Deadpool and the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate recently said he’s seen the redesign and thinks “fans will be pleased” about it. The movie stars Parks and Recreation’s Ben Schwartz as the blue hedgehog (who is apparently an alien now), James Marsden as a cop named Tom, alongside Jim Carrey’s Dr. Ivo Robtonik.
Sonic the Hedgehog hits theaters on February 14, 2020.
