This year E3 showed us just how cinematic some of the best video games have become. Not looking to be left in the cold, plenty of movie studios are looking to inject a bit of video game power into their flicks. There’s been the bad (Need For Speed) and the really, really bad (Super Mario Brothers), but now Sony is looking to buck that trend with a new feature film franchise based on the Sega character Sonic The Hedgehog.
Yes, you read that right. A feature film franchise. And an ambitious one at that. Before even making their first Sonic film, the studio already has plans for one live-action/CGI hybrid per year from now until the money stops flowing in. For the first one, they’ve got Evan Susser and Van Robichaux penning the script.
Obviously the Sonic games are immensely popular. They’ve been around for over 20 years and made more than $1 billion worldwide. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the franchise. There may not be a video game character that I’ve loved consistently through the years like the blue hedgehog. Still, I’m very skeptical about quality feature films coming from that world.
I guess my fear is that Sony will try to market this one towards kids in a way that makes it less than enjoyable for adults. While I actually don’t hate the studio’s other blue franchise, The Smurfs, I think that tone will be horrible for a Sonic movie. I don’t want to see Dr. Eggman as a bumbling buffoon. I want to see him as a truly devious and formidable foe. Sadly, a darker Sonic likely isn’t going to bring in the money that a series of family films will.
I won’t condemn these movies before they happen, as they definitely could end up being great, but for now, I’m content keeping Sonic the Hedgehog on my Dreamcast.