Having rushed onto video game screens back in 1991, it was always a wonder why Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog never got his own big screen adventure while Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Wing Commander did. Well it was announced last year that Sony had accquired the rights to create a live-action/animation hybrid – and now it has a release date.

While we don’t have an exact date, Sonic the Hedgehog’s first foray into cinema territory will happen in 2018.

“Sega Sammy Group is currently planning with Sony Pictures to create a live-action and animation hybrid Sonic The Hedgehog movie scheduled for release in 2018,” Sega president and CEO Hajime Satomi said. “Like with this CG animation production, we would like to expand our business into other entertainment areas beyond what we are currently involved.”

There were plans for a Sonic the Hedgehog movie back in the mid-1990s with Richard Jeffries (Species) penning a script for MGM. The film eventually fell through due to the rushed release of the Sega Saturn and the failure to launch Sonic X-treme.

Flickering Myth’s Luke Owen is writing a book on video game movies, and explores the cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog movie and others with interviews from those involved. Follow him @ThisIsLukeOwen for more information.