Since his inception, Sonic the Hedgehog has been positioned as an icon of attitude meant to rival the more squeaky-clean image of Nintendo’s mascot Mario. Many voice actors have played the character in Sonic the Hedgehog games since they transitioned into 3D, and late last month it was confirmed that Roger Craig Smith is stepping down as the voice of Sonic. It’s currently unknown who will take up the mantle, though for now Sonic’ film voice actor Ben Schwartz has not been approached about the role.
After a long development thanks to fan backlash against an initially unappealing take on Sonic’s design, Sonic the Hedgehog released in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2020, and would go on to make $319 million worldwide on an $85 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. It was likely many audience members’ final trip to the movies before much of the world was affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and this success resulted in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 being announced for April 2022 earlier today.
However, in an interview with ComicBook published yesterday, Schwartz said he hadn’t even considered playing Sonic in video games because it never came up until Smith was confirmed to be stepping down. While Schwartz said he loves the world of Sonic the Hedgehog and its fans, “Nobody’s had a conversation with me about any of that.”
That being said, Schwartz expressed his appreciation at being part of the character’s legacy, even if he doesn’t know what the plan is for a new video game representative. He credits Smith for having an “unbelievable” career as a talented voice actor. However, he also touches upon the work of Ryan Drummond, who recently expressed an interest in returning to Sonic after playing him in the Sonic Adventure era, as well as Jaleel White from the 90s Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon.
Jason Griffith portrayed Sonic in video games following Drummond, up until Smith took over with 2010’s Sonic Free Riders on the Xbox 360. After Smith’s 10-year stint as the character in popular titles like Sonic Generations, crossovers such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and even a cameo in Disney’s 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph, it will likely take time for fans to adjust to a new voice no matter who gets the role.
While Smith and Amy Rose’s current English VA Cindy Robinson both announced they would be parting from the long-running SEGA franchise, Dr. Eggman’s Mike Pollock confirmed he will stay in the role for the foreseeable future despite having to “stock up on lozenges.” As Schwartz prepares to lead Sonic into a now-franchise of live-action films, it will be interesting to see how Sonic the Hedgehog video games recast the blue blur.
Sources: ComicBook, Box Office Mojo, IMDb
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