Jeff Fowler on the anxiety of redesigning Sonic the Hedgehog

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG will be hitting theaters in just a few days, but were it not for the extremely negative response to the first trailer, we easily could have been sitting down on Friday for a very different Sonic. As we know, following the reception which the grotesquely terrifying version of Sonic received, Sony Pictures actually pushed back the release of the film in order to give the visual-effects team time to design a more fan-pleasing take on the character.

While speaking with Digital Spy, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG director Jeff Fowler said that although he was fairly certain the fans would like the redesign, those few months were rather nerve-racking.

I think it had been about five months that had passed since the first trailer. We had worked very hard on our updates to the character. It was definitely a little bit of like, 'Oh man, what happens if they don't like this?' But really, everyone that saw it internally as I was working on the film, just responded so positively. It really felt like, once we shared it with the fans, they would really embrace it and be excited about it. Fortunately, any anxiety I had the night before passed really quickly once it was released. Because, yeah, it was such an incredible feeling to see Sonic 2.0 get embraced the way it was.

While a Sonic that looks like…Sonic isn't a guaranteed recipe for a successful SONIC THE HEDGEHOG film, Jeff Fowler wants to do justice for the video-game character and feels as though the "attitude and fun" of Sonic "would work so well" on the big-screen. I suppose we'll find out in just a few days.

The official synopsis for SONIC THE HEDGEHOG:

Based on the global blockbuster video-game franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination. The family-friendly film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG will hit theaters on February 14th.