It was previously reported that Paramount was considering Paul Rudd to play the human lead in the film version of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ but the studio quickly refuted that and now we know why. James Marsden has signed on instead! Rudd had been said to have been playing Tom, a policeman that teams up with the titular video game star to take down the villain Doctor Robotnik. Presumably, this is the same role that Marsden will be playing but because the film is so early in development, not much is known and what is, could change at any time.
New director Jeff Fowler has been tapped to helm this adaptation. Patrick Casey and Josh Miller have been tapped to pen the script after both worked on the Netflix series ’12 Deadly Days’. Fowler will also serve as an executive producer along with Tim Miller, who directed the first ‘Deadpool’ movie. Neal H. Moritz, Dmitri Johnson, and Dan Jevons are attached to executive produce.
Paramount has already set a release date for ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’– November 15, 2019. The film will be a llive-actionCGI hybrid similar to ‘The Smurfs’ and ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’. A budget or $90 million has reportedly been set.
Sonic bum rushed the public consciousness in 1991 and has remained a video game staple ever since, having sold over 360 million unites in various formats.
Marsden stars as Teddy Flood, an android “host” on HBO’s hit ‘Westworld’. He may also be recognized for playing Cyclops/Scott Summers in the earlier ‘X-Men’ movies and as Lois Lane’s beau Richard White in ‘Superman Returns’. He is also known for starring on TV series such as ‘Ally McBeal’, ’30 Rock’ and the animated series ‘Wander Over Yonder’. He has also appeared in films such as ‘The Notebook’, ‘Hairspray’, ‘Enchanted’, and ‘Lee Daniel’s The Butler’.
What do you think of James Marsden starring in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’?
Source: Variety
