The long national nightmare is over. Sonic the Hedgehog’s redesign is complete and fans are being promised that they’ll be very, very happy with the results.
That’s what producer Tim Miller is saying. Miller spoke with Variety and confirmed that he and director Jeff Fowler agreed with fans when they spoke out after the initial reveal of everyone’s favorite blue blur in the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog. They wanted to make things right and jumped at the chance to fix the problem, even though that meant the release date of the film had to be pushed back by a few months.
“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–ked up,’ He’d already sent a tweet out an hour before I got there. He’s a good man. It was exactly the right way to handle that. The fans have a voice in this too. There’s a right way to listen.”
Miller then went on to say this when asked if he had seen the new design: “In fact I have. And I think the fans will be pleased.” I sure hope so! I don’t think they can afford to pull the movie off the release schedule again for another redesign.
This whole situation is just so bizarre but also a sign of the times. A video game property from the 90s gets made into a family movie and adult fans rally online to have it altered…and the studio and creators listen! If that’s not 2019 I don’t know what is. It’s completely unprecedented and a bit worrisome. I’m hoping this is a rare occasion and not the beginning of a trend where filmmakers cave to the demands of the internet. Don’t get me wrong, Sonic looked odd and the change wasn’t a bad idea. The fans were right…this time. But movies shouldn’t be made by committee and, whether it be good or bad, a decision from the filmmakers should be final. I’ll let it slide this time because I’m not a huge Sonic fan and this entire story is bizarre and entertaining. But if this happens again with a property I care about, I’ll be pissed. First they came for Sonic and I did not speak out…