The Suicide Squad star Idris Elba has joined the cast of Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2. According to Elba’s own Instagram account, he’ll be voicing Sonic’s friend and rival Knuckles the Echidna.
Elba joins James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Jim Carrey, and Ben Schwartz for the upcoming sequel, which races into theaters on April 8, 2022. Jeff Fowler will once again direct the Blue Blur in his new film. Pat Casey and Josh Miller will pen the script.
According to SonicFandom.com, Knuckles is the current guardian of an object called the Master Emerald, a powerful ancient relic which is his solemn duty is to protect from anyone seeking to abuse it. He is also the sole surviving descendant of the echidna race from the Knuckles Clan. His dominant traits are his super strength and the two spike-like knuckles on each of his hands, from which his name is derived, which he can use to dig with and climb walls. He can also trap the wind under his dreadlocks to glide through the air.
Often described as a loner, Knuckles is known for being headstrong and ill-tempered. He’s the type of character that gets in his own head a lot, and sometimes it gets in the way of achieving the greater good. That being said, Knuckles is also the type of friend that will have your back when the chips are down. Knuckles was introduced as an antagonist in the 1994 Sega video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3. As a part of his introduction, Knuckles was tricked by Doctor Robotnik into thinking that Sonic was his enemy. The two eventually figured things out and became fast friends.
Idris Elba is riding high these days after the success of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Elba stars as Bloodsport in DC’s antihero action film alongside a cast of greats that include Margot Robbie, John Cena, and Joel Kinnaman, as well as several others.
News of him being cast as Knuckles for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has already taken the internet by storm, with many fans curious about whether or not Elba will attempt an American accent for the role.
Will you be racing to a theater to check out Sonic the Hedgehog 2 when it arrives on April 8, 2022?