With 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog having been met with a solid amount of positive critical reception and becoming the highest-grossing video game movie of all time domestically, it’s no surprise that Paramount Pictures ordered a sequel. Now we’re a little over half a year away from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 racing into theaters, and today brings word that Knuckles the Echidna, one of the new characters being featured in the movie, will be voiced by The Suicide Squad star Idris Elba.
Idris Elba, who plays Robert DuBois, a.k.a. Bloodsport, in the James Gunn-written and directed movie about DC Comics’ Task Force X, announced his involvement with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with the following social media post:
Hey, what more is there to do than share a poster of Knuckles’ infamous spiked fist and simply caption it with the character’s catchphrase from the video games to let people know you’re lending your vocal talents to Sonic the Hedgehog 2? Thanks to leaked set photos, it was confirmed back in April that Knuckles the Echidna would appear in the sequel, and four months later, now we know who will be bringing this version of the character to life. Elba is the first new voice actor to be announced for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, while Ben Schwartz will, of course, be reprising Sonic himself. Elba’s other notable vocal credits include Zootopia, The Jungle Book and Finding Dory, all of which came out in 2016.
Knuckles the Echidna debuted in 1994’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3, where he filled an antagonistic role alongside Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik. However, their alliance only came about because Robotnik tricked Knuckles into thinking that Sonic was trying to steal the Master Emerald, and Robotnik’s deception was revealed in 1994’s Sonic & Knuckles. Since then, Knuckles has primarily been depicted as a protagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, although he also still serves as a rival to Sonic and is often prone to being impulsive when angered. Knuckles is currently voiced in the Sonic games by Dave B. Mitchell, taking over the role from Travis Willingham.
As for how Idris Elba’s Knuckles fits into Sonic the Hedgehog 2, he’ll team up with Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik, who was marooned on the mushroom planet at the end of the first movie, but finally makes his way back to Earth in the sequel with Knuckles in tow. Together, they’ll attempt to track down an emerald that is capable of building and destroying civilizations, requiring Sonic to work with Tails (who cameoed in the first movie’s mid-credits scene) and get to the emerald first. Along with the previously mentioned actors, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sees James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell reprising their respective roles.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 wrapped principal photography back in June and is still primed to race into theaters on April 8, 2022. Browse through our 2022 release schedule to discover what other movies will arrive next year.
