On this special SEGA Talk podcast we will be looking at newly found information on a very early script pitched by Trilogy Entertainment Group for SEGA and MGM, plus we look at the famous re-write that has also made its way to the wild. Get your popcorn ready!
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In 1994, Trilogy Entertainment Group, who were behind such films as Tank Girl and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, partnered with MGM and SEGA to develop a movie that would evoke the same sense of entertainment found in films like Batman and Jurassic Park. The first of these attempts to be publicly known was actually the second attempt (we’ll get to the first attempt shortly).
Written by contracted screenwriter Richard Jeffries, “Sonic: Wonders of the World” was an eight page treatment written in 1995 that saw a Roger Rabbit-esque story of Sonic and Robotnik emerging from a child’s television as the video game world met the real world in a high stakes adventure. This treatment was discovered in March 2022 by Jacob Berkley who was researching for his book “The Complete History of Sonic SatAM”, and despite missing pages 6 and 7, the treatment gives a solid idea of how the film would play out.
However, little did Sonic fandom know that an earlier treatment existed. In fact, it has been something of a white whale for me for the past eight years and something I’ve kept a secret until recently. The first treatment sees a totally different take on the story of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic is a teenage boy named Jimmy Hedgeman who fights a fingerless bioengineer named Dr. Paul Elleson. But before we get to the content of the treatment, let me tell you how the treatment was discovered…
Update: Watch the archived stream here!
Join us TONIGHT at 7:45PM Central at The Game Show Game Twitch channel as we read through a 32 page treatment for a Sonic movie, drafted in November 1994!
This proposed film was from Trilogy Entertainment Group, a team who attempted a live action Sonic movie from 1994-1995. While fans have known about the 8 page treatment from 1995 called Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World, there also existed an earlier and much longer treatment called Sonic: The Movie which is so damn weird that SEGA asked them to start from scratch, which is where the Wonders of the World came in. So what we have to share is a HUGE piece of Sonic movie history that has been unseen until now!
The trailer for the six episode series Knuckles, a spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog films, has just dropped! With the trailer drop comes an April 26th date for all six episodes.
The trailer showcases Knuckles training Tom’s fellow Green Hills sheriff Wade in the ways of the warrior, and along the way we see a former Robotnik tech expert who seemingly has gone rogue and is using old robots combined with powered-up Knuckles quills. Two well dressed characters also seem to join this new villain, and if I can throw out one guess it is that these are the Sonic movie’s take on Black Arms. Don’t ask me why I believe this, but let’s just say it rhymes with “sneaked snorey chords”.
On the season finale of SEGA News Bits Live, Barry dishes on the Jet Set Radio 3 leaks, talks about the Knuckles Paramount+ series and covers the past month of SEGA news.
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On April 17, the official Sonic movie Twitter account revealed that the Knuckles series for Paramount+ was in production. The reveal included a clapper board with the series logo, the reveal that Sonic movie series director Jeff Fowler was returning and a sly inclusion of Knuckles treasure hunter hat as first seen in the 1996 Sonic the Hedgehog anime movie.
Enjoy the Ride Records have just released a limited run of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 soundtrack audio cassette tapes, limited to 250 copies, featuring the score by Tom Holkenborg. The cassettes feature UV-printed shells, meaning you get promotional graphics from the movie printed right on the tape. Pretty slick! To sweeten the deal, the case evokes Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s video game cover art, a move that the 4K home video release also did with the steelbook. Also available is a repress of the first film’s soundtrack on vinyl, featuring a tri-color swirl. Head on over to Enjoy the Ride Records and order yours today!
Sonic has returned to theaters in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Kiel Phegley is returning to the Swingin’ Report Show to talk about all he has been up to in the world of Sonic books since we last spoke! We’ll talk about how Kiel became the go-to Sonic movie novelization writer, the process of creating a novelization for both Sonic movies, and his work with IDW on the prequel comic for Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
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Let’s take a look at the books, figures and plush dolls releasing for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie!
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Paramount and SEGA’s 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog will be seeing a 4K + Blu-Ray + Digital re-release to coincide with the upcoming sequel. Dubbed the Bonus Stage Edition, the boxed set will include the previously released comic book, as well as mini posters, what appears to be a collector card, and an outer box and a mini CD sized Steelbook case. The set will release March 15th, 2022 and the sequel is due out April 8th, 2022. You can pre-order it now here.
The Sonic movie twitter account dropped a poster for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and revealed that the first trailer debuts at the Game Awards, tomorrow December 9th at 8pm ET. The poster actually reveals quite a bit! Tails will be taking a co-starring role and the iconic red biplane will be making the jump to the live action movie series, though whether it is christened the Tornado remains the be seen.
With the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel, appropriately titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2, having wrapped in Toronto we now have an official plot synopsis from Paramount:
After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is ready for more freedom, and Tom and Maddie agree to leave him home while they go on vacation. But, no sooner are they gone, when Dr. Robotnik comes back, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to both build and destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. Being directed by Jeff Fowler, and starring Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and Ben Schwartz.
The Sonic movie twitter account shared the news that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel, which we have all been calling Sonic the Hedgehog 2, will in fact be titled… Sonic the Hedgehog 2! The animated logo reveal, which you can see after the break, features Emerald Hill Zone music and a stylized 2 featuring Tails’ tails. The release date is set for April 8, 2022.
According to the website ‘The Illuminerdi’ Paramount Pictures has officially offered the role of Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to Aquaman star Jason Momoa but the actor is ‘yet to accept it’. I will say that in the past Jason Momoa has been ‘tagged’ in motion pictures that never happen, do you remember that Frosty the Snowman movie he said was 100% made up?
Outside of this rumored info, we don’t have anything new to report as we don’t even know the plot details as of now. What are your thoughts on the idea of Jason Momoa playing Knuckles?
Since we’re all at home, its easy to catch daytime television. On Live with Kelly and Ryan, actress Tika Sumpter guested and confirmed she will be returning for the Sonic The Hedgehog movie sequel and filming will begin in March, 2021. Additionally, the movie will film in Vancouver and Hawaii.
Fans might remember the first movie filmed in Vancouver, which acted as Montana and San Francisco. So it is likely we will return to the small town of Green Hills, Montana. Additionally, the Hawaii location is interesting as it could act as Sonic’s world with some CG enhancements. We’ll know more as filming begins.
[Source: Twitter]