Let’s be real: We weren’t the world’s biggest fans of Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog when it dash-rolled into theaters in the pre-pandemic wonderland that was February 2020. A lot of people did like it a lot, and we’re very happy that they saw something we didn’t (especially, perhaps, when they watched it on Hulu or whatever in one of the bleakest periods of modern US history). Of course, its overwhelming success at the box office and at home meant that a sequel would be on the way, and some huge news broke late Tuesday afternoon about Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Sonic’s famous frenemy Knuckles the Echidna will be making an appearance, and he’ll be voiced by none other than Idris fucking Elba.
The actor and the world’s sexiest man took to his social media to announce the news and tease the character’s design, which you can view below:
Knock, knock….#SonicMovie2 #Knuckles pic.twitter.com/N1PW5XaCEd
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) August 10, 2021
In case you needed to know as much as humanly possible about Sonic the Hedgehog 2, here’s a synopsis straight from the United States Copyright Office. Yes, we’re serious (thanks, Collider!), and yes, this is real:
“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.”
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits theaters on April 8, 2022. We have to say that this casting has forever changed how we visualize the opening track of Jay-Z’s American Gangster for us, which is pretty sad.