Knuckles the Echidna is set to make his live-action debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 next year — and now we know who’ll be voicing him: none other than Idris Elba (Cats and also other movies, apparently). Elba appears to have not yet been completely scared away from showing up in hybrid live-action / animated films with sometimes-questionable CGI.
According to a leaked synopsis for the film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will actually see Elba’s animated echidna team up with Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik “in search for an emerald that has the power to both build and destroy civilizations.”
Elba will join Ben Schwartz, who voiced Sonic in the first film, and returning live-action actors James Marsden as Tom and Tika Sumpter as Maddie. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will also feature Miles “Tails” Prower (who appeared in a post-credit scene in the first film), but it’s unclear if the flying fox character will be voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey — who also has voiced Tails in other Sonic games and media — or if he’ll be recast with an actor with more name recognition.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is set to hit theaters on April 8th, 2022.
