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Sonic the Hedgehog release date delayed by three months for character redesign

Fans weren't happy with the initial design for the classic SEGA character

Roisin O'Connor
Saturday 25 May 2019 04:18 EDT
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Sonic The Hedgehog - Trailer

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The live-action film adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog has been pushed back by nearly three months, in order to give filmmakers time to fix the CGI character.

The first trailer for the film, which was released earlier this month, sparked a widespread fan backlash over the depiction of the SEGA video game hero.

Director Jeff Fowler pledged to redesign Sonic and has now confirmed a new release date for the film, on 14 February 2020.

"Taking a little more time to get Sonic just right," he tweeted, along with a picture showing the new date.

It is not certain whether three months is enough time to completely redesign Sonic in the feature film. Rob Letterman, whose film Detective Pikachu features a similar CGI character, told The Verge: “It would be very difficult for us to redesign anything. We spent a year designing all the characters ahead of shooting so that we could get it all right.

“If we were off by an inch on Pikachu, [actor] Justice Smith’s performance would go right out the window. For us, it would have been impossible — but that doesn’t mean they can’t do it. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes — they’re in a difficult spot.”

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