With the release date for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog just around the corner, director Jeff Fowler has revealed the biggest challenge the crew faced from transferring the popular video game franchise to the big screen – and it wasn’t the titular hero Sonic.
In an interview with Digital Spy, Fowler revealed Sonic’s nemesis Dr. Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, posed a particular challenge due to the lack of source material when transitioning from a “moustache-twirly” villain to a much “more grounded” character.
“With Robotnik, there wasn’t quite so much to pull from with the source material, because he is very moustache-twirly, and for the purposes of the film, we were trying to keep him a little bit more grounded,” Fowler said. “I mean, we still obviously had a lot of fun with the character. The development that went into him, and all of that, was made so great, just by the casting of Jim Carrey, and all the ideas that he brought to it. It just felt like he really responded to the character in the most incredible way, and had so many ideas for how to develop him.”
Fowler continued by praising Carrey for his signature improvisation and claimed he brought “so many great ideas and pitches” to the role.
“Really, it’s just so much fun to see what he’s cooked up, and to be trying stuff,” Fowler said. “We were always doing [alternate takes], or just coming up with different gags and ways to do the scene. That just gave us a lot of really great options when it came to editing.”
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Based on the global blockbuster videogame 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.
Sonic the Hedgehog is directed by Jeff Fowler (Gopher Broke) and features a cast that includes Ben Schwartz (House of Lies), James Marsden (Westworld), Jim Carrey (Kidding), Adam Pally (Happy Endings), Tika Sumpter (Ride Along), Neal McDonough (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Natasha Rothwell (Love, Simon). It is set for release on February 14th 2020.
