Jeff Fowler, the director of Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog film, revealed on Twitter on Friday that the film has been delayed to February 14, 2020. Fowler said in the tweet that staff are “Taking a little more time to make Sonic just right.”
The film was previously scheduled to open in the United States on November 8, in Australia on November 28, in the United Kingdom on December 26, and in Japan in December. Fowler did not confirm updated release dates for other territories.
Earlier this month, Fowler noted the criticism for the design of the Sonic character in the trailer for the film, and said that the design would change in light of the criticism. He added that Paramount Pictures and Sega are “fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be.”
The advertising agency Hamagami/Carroll, Inc. briefly revealed a design for the titular character in March.
Executive producer Tim Miller previously discussed Sonic’s fur, which differs from the quills on real-world hedgehogs. Miller said, “It would be weird and it would feel like he was running around nude if he was some sort of otter-like thing. It was always, for us, fur, and we never considered anything different. It’s part of what integrates him into the real world and makes him a real creature.”
Producer Neal Moritz said of the character’s shoes, “We looked at every different variation of what shoes he’s worn and we’re trying to pay homage to that and also make it current and present day in what we think a Sonic of today would wear.”
Paramount Pictures announced last August that it moved the opening date the film from November 15, 2019 to November 8, 2019 in the United States. The film will open in Australia on November 28, 2019 and in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2019. The film’s Japanese title is Sonic The Movie, and the Japanese opening date for the film will be announced “soon.”
Ben Schwartz (DuckTales, Parks and Recreation) voices the title character Sonic in the film. James Marsden (Westworld, X-Men) and Tika Sumpter stars in the film, and Jim Carrey (The Truman Show, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) voices the villain Robotnik.
Tim Miller (Deadpool) and Toby Ascher are executive producing with producer Neal Moritz (Fast & Furious franchise) and co-producers Dmitri Johnson and Dan Jevons.
The film project first emerged in 2014 as a hybrid computer-animated and live-action feature film project by Sony and Marza Animation Planet. In February 2016, Sega Sammy Holdings president and CEO Hajime Satomi revealed that Sony Pictures Entertainment was planning the film. The Hollywood Reporter reported in October that Paramount Pictures had acquired the rights to develop the film.