After earning more than $300 million worldwide with its first movie, Sonic the Hedgehog is back.
In the second installment, Sonic is working hard to prove that he has what it takes to be a true hero. But when Dr. Robotnik returns with a new partner, Knuckles, in search of an emerald that has the power to destroy Earth. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and they work together to take Dr. Robotnik down and discovers quickly that Knuckles may not actually be an enemy.
The film’s cast includes Idris Elba as Knuckles. Elba, who admits he is a fan of Sonic in video game form, was nervous to deliver a stellar performance to Sonic fans’ expectations. Though he’s done voiceover work previously, it hasn’t been to this degree.
But what makes this project stand out from others he’s participated in is how big his role is in a family movie. As a father of two with a 7-year-old son, he says he’s excited that his son will be able to identify his voice. But more importantly, it represents something greater as he told Shadow and Act in a recent interview.
Elba was very excited to play a main character in a live-action animation film.
Starring as Knuckles provided him with more space to create a world around a character that isn’t human. He also said that understands the significance of the role.
“It’s very important in the sense that this character is culture-less in the sense you can’t place him here or there,” he said. “He’s regal and he has a tribe and he’s proud of his tribe. So if you add my heritage and background and that ends up informing or at least encouraging Knuckles’ being, then it makes it even more rich. So I’m very proud of that.”
He is hopeful Knuckles to be a recurring character in future ‘Sonic’ projects. He tells S&A that a new project based solely on Knuckles is on the horizon.
“I think Knuckles and Sonic have a lot more adventures to embark on,” he said. “I think that relationship has a journey to go on for the foreseeable future. And you know, there’s an opportunity for us to do a spin-off TV show with Knuckles, which will hopefully be about Knuckles’ experience on Earth and getting into all kinds of adventures.”
Watch the full video above to check out the entire interview for more.
