It's only been a few weeks since the announcement was made that Deadpool director Tim Miller had departed the sequel but he's wasted no time in lining up his next project - and it's something very different altogether.

Miller will executive produce Sony's film version of video game character Sonic the Hedgehog which is being developed as a Paddington-style CG-animation/live-action hybrid.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker is producing the project alongside regular collaborator Jeff Fowler who is in line to direct. The duo's most acclaimed work arrived in the form of 2005 animated short Gopher Broke which earned them both an Oscar nomination.

Sega video game Sonic the Hedgehog followed the titular character and his friends, Tails and Knuckles, who attempt to thwart the global domination of Doctor Eggman Robotnik. Following its release in 1991, the blue character became one of the gaming industry's most popular with over 350 million copies sold across various platforms.