In surprising response to early audience reactions, the team behind the upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog was tasked with redesigning the star character after the first trailer was released.
When the live-action Sonic debuted in April, the disapproval from fans was immediate, and loud. They cited the uncomfortably human features such as eyes, teeth and calves. Director Jeff Fowler responded quickly, and promised changes.
It's been several months since then, and progress on the redesign is still underway. Producer Tim Miller recalled the incident and spoke about the studios willingness to go back and redesign the character, saying "this is a franchise, and it has to be great." He explained that neither he nor Fowler was satisfied with the initial design. "Look, I was with fans, and so was Jeff. When the s–t hit the fan, I went over there and said, 'The most important thing to do, man, is say, I f***ed up.'"
He then provided a small but important update about the redesigned Sonic, revealing that he'd seen the new look, promising, "I think the fans will be pleased."
Sonic the Hedgehog centers on the titular superpowered, anthropomorphic blue hedgehog, who finds himself on Earth and is forced to confront the evil Dr. Robotnik before he can take over the world. The film is based on the Sega video game franchise and is the first live-action adaptation of the character.
Opening Nov. 8, director Jeff Fowler's Sonic the Hedgehog stars Ben Schwartz as Sonic and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, with James Marsden, Neal McDonald, Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell.
Via Variety