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According to Hollywood insider website The Tracking Board, a “dark [and] edgy” movie adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is on its way courtesy of Columbia Pictures. The film, which is aimed squarely at older audiences, will use a combination of live-action and animation. This news comes less than two months after the other major Sonic announcement at the beginning of February, revealing a huge push for Sega’s mascot.

Sonic’s past history with film and animation would most charitably described as uneven; fans are mostly divided on the Blue Blur’s ventures into Saturday morning stardom, but his 1996 feature film has become widely accepted as a source of unintentional laughter. One might assume the new film in question would aim to please longtime fans of Sonic now in their adult lives, given the wordage used in the proposal, but the series’ past ventures into “edgier” territory have also met with mixed results.

With Original Film and SEGA financing the project, the search has begun for a writer to jump onboard. Among those shortlisted are Brad Bird (Wall-E, Toy Story 2, The Incredibles) and Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph, Nebraska). It will be interesting to see how the project proceeds as time goes on, especially with a commitment to “darker” storytelling that seems to rock the boat among fans of any media.

What are your thoughts on this new development in Sonic’s long and storied history? Will you see the film if it arrives at a theater near you?

[source tracking-board.com]