Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie release date and more

Sonic the Hedgehog is coming back in Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

One Sonic movie wasn't enough: we're getting a Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie. All the casting news has been pretty great, starting with the confirmation of Tails' appearance in the movie, we've now got good news about who's voicing Tails. This is on top of a huge reason to get excited about the movie that we did not see coming.

Not only is Knuckles going to be in the film, but the casting for the echidna is so far out of left field that we really need to see the movie now. At least if one actor's tease on social media is correct.

Oh, and we've got spinoff and sequel news. The Sonic 3 movie is official, as is the Knuckles TV show on Paramount Plus.

Here's everything we know about the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie release date

Ben Schwartz (the voice of Sonic himself) originally announced that the film will come out on April 8, 2022. 

The release date was confirmed in a tweet announcing the title of the movie, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." That being said, this could still get pushed back. It all depends on when theaters re-open in the U.S., and if other movies' release dates get pushed back and cause a ripple effect.

To tide you over, we've got details on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie post-credits scenes.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie cast

Sonic fans, and specifically Tails fans, are likely giddy off the news that veteran voice actor Colleen O'Shaughnessey is going to voice Tails in Sonic 2. O'Shaughnessey has been the voice of Tails since 2014, and also voiced Charmy Bee. She confirmed the news in a tweet, saying "Taking my old pal Tails for another adventure. Thrilled to announce I’m the voice of Miles “Tails” Prower in #SonicMovie2! Can’t wait for y'all to see him on the big screen."

The previous cast announcement for Sonic 2 appears to be Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles. We know this because of a simple social media post from The Wire star, captioned "Knock, knock ... #SonicMovie2 #Knuckles." 

James Marsden and Ben Schwartz are the publicly confirmed cast members of Sonic 2. Both will reprise their roles from the original, with the former in the role of Thomas Michael "Tom" Wachowski, and the latter voicing the titular hedgehog. 

That being said, we expect to see Jim Carrey back as Dr Robotnik, and Tika Sumpter return as Tom's wife Maddie. We do not know if Colleen O'Shaughnessey voices Tails, but as she plays the character in other Sonic properties it's not unlikely.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 story

This movie will definitely tell a new tale, or should we say Tails. In one of the Sonic movie end-scenes, we saw Miles "Tails" Prower enter our world — in Green Hills, Montana — through out of one of Sonic's rings. It turns out that Tails has been tracking Sonic on a portable computer. Tails is a lock for Sonic 2, considering that his tails are in the movie logo.

Then, we got another new character tease when Dr. Robotnik landed in a mushroom-filled planet, which was likely the Mushroom Hill Zone. Mushroom Hill Zone first appeared in Sonic & Knuckles, which makes us think Sonic 2 will not just give us Tails, but introduce Knuckles the Echidna as well — as Elba's above post seems to confirm.

In Sonic lore, Dr. Robotnik has brainwashed Knuckles, and this could give Dr. Eggman his latest weapon to fight Sonic.

Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.