Anytime a new Sonic the Hedgehog project gets announced, fans clamor to discuss what it should be influenced by. The classic Genesis games for their iconic look? The Dreamcast Sonic Adventure series for the story? Sonic’s various appearances in animation also get brought up, whether it is the wacky slapstick of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, the cult classic Sonic the Hedgehog (aka SatAM), the Sonic X anime, and more.
One series that the cast of the Sonic live-action movies wants to draw from more than any other though is Sonic Boom. Airing from 2014 to 2017 on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, the series stood apart from other entries in the Sonic franchise by functioning as a send-up of action-adventure stories with tons of fourth wall breaking jokes.
The cast member leading the charge to reference Sonic Boom is Colleen O’Shaughnessey, who got her start voicing Sonic’s sidekick Tails in that series and now voices him in the films. O’Shaughnessey, who spoke with Den of Geek ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s streaming release, wants to bring a very specific element of the series to the big screen, the band “Dude-itude.”
In the Sonic Boom series, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles form a cross between a rock and boy band, and perform several songs of their own creation. O’Shaughnessey provided Tails’ singing voice for the band and is ecstatic about the idea of performing alongside Sonic actor Ben Schwartz.
“He’s in [Apple TV+’s] The Afterparty and he has these big musical numbers,” explains O’Shaughnessey. “I was like, ‘Ben! I didn’t know you could sing. Tails and Sonic need a song!’”
Jeff Fowler, director of both Sonic the Hedgehog live-action films, says that Schwartz is “looking for any opportunity to break out into song at any point in anything. I’ll have to write this down. Fingers crossed!”
O’Shaughnessey jokingly pleads to Fowler, “We need a big musical number!”
Considering that we’ve now got Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in the Sonic movie franchise, an appearance from Dude-itude isn’t out of the question. We have no idea what the plot reason would be for the three to form a band, but anything is possible! Sonic was rocking that air guitar in the first movie, and if Tails can make his own gadgets to fight evil he can surely build a sound system. And come on, why wouldn’t Idris Elba want to sing as Knuckles? Hell, maybe he could perform Knuckles’ famous rap from Sonic Adventure as part of the band. We need it! Please Paramount, the music sales alone would justify it. And If Jim Carrey did come back, imagine topping “Cuban Pete” in The Mask…
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is streaming now on Paramount+ and VOD.