by: Madison Barnes

It’s recently been confirmed that a movie adaptation of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is in development at Columbia Pictures, with the studio going for a dark, edgy version skewed towards older audiences! NOT ONLY this, but the studio plans to make it a mix of live-action and animation, allowing the much loved character to really meld with reality. For those of us who played the classic Sega video game as kids (or if you’re still playing it right now), this could be an adventure ride for the ages. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a bad ass version of Sonic?!

Original Films and SEGA are onboard to finance, with Neal Moritz and Toby Ascher producing. Hannah Minghella and Foster Driver are overseeing the project as executives at Columbia.

The only thing to do now is find a writer for the project, and an awesome shortlist has already been put together with some real heavy hitters:

Brad Bird (“Incredibles, “”Wall-E,” “Brave,” “Toy Story 2,” “Up”)

Wernick & Reese (“Deadpool,” “Monsters Inc,” “Zombieland,” “GI Joe Retaliation”)

David Berenbaum (“The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “Elf”)

Phil Johnston (“Wreck it Ralph” and “Nebraska”)

Sonic has a long history, as it’s been adapted for the small screen numerous times in the past – once as an animated movie (1996) and once as an animated television series (1993). This project currently in development, however, will bring an entirely new edge to the story, revealing the darker side of the blue hedgehog. It’s a smart move by Columbia, as many fans of the original game are now into their late 20’s to early 30’s, and would need a stronger draw to get them into the theater. It also allows relatively new fans to join in – those who only know Sonic from the new Nintendo Wii versions or their Android/iPhone devices. Someone at Columbia is either a huge fan of the hedgehog themselves, or they just have a really good sense of the current market. Either way we are not complaining, as the movie could be a really big hit if development continues in this direction.

Everybody here at the Tracking-Board is anxiously awaiting its arrival to the big screen and we’ll keep you posted as more details emerge!

TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE