By the top of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the Sonic cinematic universe has gotten significantly larger. Shadow the Hedgehog and Gerald Robotnik broaden the Sonic household, and a mid-credits scene guarantees so as to add much more fan-favorite characters for the eventual sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 4. As Sonic 3 hits digital launch this week, Polygon took time to talk to Sonic the Hedgehog franchise director Jeff Fowler about the way forward for the sequence and what it holds for 2 new characters.
In Sonic 3’s mid-credits stinger, a military of Steel Sonics present as much as neutralize Sonic. However a savior arrives: Amy Rose, cloaked and armed with a large mallet, and she or he lays waste to the robotic Sonic clones. Neither Steel Sonic nor Amy speaks in the course of the scene, which leaves their locations within the story open-ended for now.
Learn on for Fowler’s perception into the addition of Amy Rose and Steel Sonic, who’ve been teed as much as seem in a fourth live-action Sonic the Hedgehog film.
Polygon: When do you know you have been going to broaden the franchise with Steel Sonic and Amy Rose?
Jeff Fowler: We really had the thought fairly early, throughout storyboarding. We love doing these teasers, and with [Sonic the Hedgehog] having 30-plus years of video games, there are such a lot of wonderful characters. We’re all dying to get a feminine character within the combine with Amy, however on the similar time, to honor how they have been each launched in Sonic CD. So it felt very cool to honor that chronology and have them concurrently launched.
In fact, it could be reckless and irresponsible to not have had at the very least some story conversations — you don’t wish to simply put a personality in there after which get up after the film’s out and do not know what to do with them.
With Shadow, we knew by bringing him in on the finish of [Sonic the Hedgehog 2], that was going to kind of commit us to the Sonic Journey 2 storyline, or at the very least one thing that honored that storyline. With the flicks, what we at all times attempt to do is honor the characters and tales that made them so iconic, but in addition give it a film coat of paint. So now that’s the problem with Amy and Steel.
I can’t actually communicate to any of the Sonic 4 stuff, however I’ll simply say that we by no means put these characters in evenly — it’s at all times as a result of we predict they’re going to convey one thing fascinating and new to the story. That basically is the general purpose: to make every of those movies distinctive. We by no means wish to repeat ourselves. We by no means wish to really feel like we’re making the identical film. It’s at all times received to take us into new territory tonally, and supply up one thing new, and provides folks a purpose that they must get out and see it. Since you don’t need it to really feel acquainted or anticipated or, worst of all, predictable. So yeah, that’s the subsequent problem.
Do you might have an inner wishlist of which actors would possibly voice these characters?
Completely. I imply, historically, in most of his incarnations, Steel Sonic doesn’t communicate. That’s to not say that after the story and scripting course of begins, there gained’t be the query requested, What if we did give him a voice? All these conversations have but available.
However I believe with Amy, as we work by means of her character — when that work is dedicated to — we’ll be determining who’s the most effective match by way of character. I imply, Amy is a bit of totally different from Shadow. His character has stood up over time. I believe [based on] Amy’s unique introduction, we now have some totally different story wants — [we can’t just rely on] Sonic CD. However they’re each actually thrilling alternatives. They’re artistic conversations nonetheless available, so we’ll simply have to attend and see.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 arrives on digital rental and buy platforms on Jan. 21.
