Sonic the Hedgehog: Project Shadow

Sonic the Hedgehog: Battle (released in the United Kingdom as Sonic Adventure 2: Re-Run and internationally as Sonic Adventure II) is a 2009 American live-action/computer-animated adventure fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by George Lucas and Ethan Coen. Based on the video game franchise published by Sega, it is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), and the second installment of the original Sonic the Hedgehog film series. It stars voice actors, Ben Schwartz, Hayden Christensen, Amy Palant, Dwayne Johnson, Katherine McNamara, Kathleen Delaney, Jim Carrey, and Tyler Perry. The film continues as Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails and Knuckles the Echidna attempt to save the world, while Shadow the Hedgehog, Doctor Eggman and Rouge the Bat attempt to conquer it.

Following the critical and commercial success of Sonic the Hedgehog in December 2006, Sega announced and immediately set to work on producing a sequel. In December 2005, Martin Scorsese was hired to write the script and Spielberg was signed to direct. Schwartz, Johnson, Carrey, and Perry were set to reprise their roles from Sonic the Hedgehog, while Palant and McNamara were brought in to replace Karen Bernstein and Hannah Tointon in the role of Tails and Amy Rose. In the late months of 2007, Christensen and Delaney filled out the supporting cast. Filming took place from November 2007 to July 2008, mostly in San Francisco and Chicago as in the first film, except for a key sequence in Boston. The sequel, Episode Metal was released on November 30, 2011.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Battle premiered in Los Angeles on November 30, 2009, and was released in the United States on December 25 as the first Sonic film using IMAX Technology and released into IMAX Theatres. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who considered it an improvement over its predecessors. It was a commercial success, grossing over $60 million against a $70 million budget. It grossed $462 million worldwide, making it the eleventh-highest-grossing film of all time.

Plot
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Cast

 * Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Hayden Christensen as Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Amy Palant as Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Dwayne Johnson as Knuckles the Echidna
 * Katherine McNamara as Amy Rose
 * Kathleen Delaney as Rogue the Bat
 * Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik / Dr. Eggman
 * Tyler Perry as E-102 Gamma

Development
Plans to make a sequel came about before the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, Steven Spielberg had seen the first film and was awed by it, saying: "When I saw Sonic the Hedgehog, I was like, 'Damn, why didn't I think of that?' Growing up in South Central L.A., we had street races all the time." Spielberg's rave reaction of the film as well as the culture of street racing in general influenced his decision to direct the sequel. The director also claimed that the concept of street racing could be something young audiences can relate to.

There were two film treatments submitted early on, one of which did not involve Clark Gregg's character in the event the actor would not return for the sequel. Spielberg credited Top Gun as a major influence for the film, particularly with regard to the action sequences.

Pre-production
Immediately following Sonic the Hedgehog 's Japanese release, Sega announced that they were developing a sequel, with an intended release date of December 18, 2009. In December 2005, after several months of negotiating, Spielberg officially signed on to direct. That same month, the screenplay was written by Spike Lee and Adam McKay, along with Gary Scott Thompson.

In October 2006, Sega came to an agreement to film Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as well as their next four films, at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, California. A few days later, Amy Palant and Katherine McNamara were hired to replace Karen Bernstein and Hannah Tointon. On being replaced, Bernstein stated, "There was no explanation, apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on sometimes. Promises aren't kept, and good-faith negotiations aren't always held up." Entertainment Weekly stated Spielberg did not enjoy working with Bernstein, often re-shooting and cutting his scenes; Bernstein's publicist said he had a good experience playing the part, while Sega chose not to comment. As Spielberg and Kaufman chose to reduce the role, Sega came to Bernstein to discuss lowering his salary—Bernstein was the first actor hired in the first film and was paid the largest salary. The publication stated they were unsure whether Howard's representatives left the project first or if Sega chose to stop negotiating. Scorsese denied the part of the report which claimed the size of the role had fluctuated. In November 2011, Bernstein stated that, going into the film, the studio offered him far less than was in his three-picture contract, claiming they told him the second will be successful, "with or without you," and, without mentioning him by name, said Carrey "took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out."

In September 2007, Hayden Christensen and Angelina Jolie entered negotiations to play a pair of villains. A few days later, Christensen confirmed he would take the role, and that his character would be Shadow the Hedgehog. Dwayne Johnson confirmed that he and Perry would be returning to voice Knuckles the Echidna and E-123 Omega. Sega entered into early talks with Jolie to play Rogue the Bat, though she was unable to take the role due to a previous commitment to star in Salt. Jim Carrey confirmed that he had been in discussions to reprise the role of Dr. Robotnik from the first film, but that contract disputes were making a deal difficult. Carrey stated, "There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don't know. Maybe I won't be Eggman."

In October, Carrey and Sega came to terms, and he was signed to play the character in up to five films. Schwartz and Christensen discussed his part during a roundtable discussion with David Ansen at the 2007 Golden Globes, and Christensen met with Spielberg and Kaufman to discuss the role. Christensen almost dropped out because of Sega's initial salary offer of $250,000, but the studio raised the offer, and in early November, Christensen signed on. Later that same day, Kathleen Delaney signed on to play Rogue the Bat. In early November, Garry Shandling, William Hurt, and Kate Mara joined the cast.

Filming
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Post-production
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Release
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Reception
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Sequels
Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog film series

Transcripts
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