Once the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer dropped, it sent the internet into a frenzy after viewers witnessed Sonic and Knuckles go head-to-head for the first time in a cinematic setting. While audiences were familiar with Ben Schwartz as the blue hedgehog, it was their first time hearing Idris Elba as Knuckles. Given Elba’s Hollywood hunk status, many fans couldn’t help but respond with enthusiasm and lust to his voice. While viewers were going wild for The Suicide Squad star’s take, Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s director revealed how he felt about the online thirst.
The sexiness may not have been Idris Elba’s intention, but being a former Sexiest Man Alive, it was bound to ooze out even in an animated red echidna. Knuckles does display menacing sexiness gamers have come to love. Either way, moviegoers have enjoyed his take on Knuckles so far. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler seemed to kick out of the audience’s reaction, as he said to Polygon:
Let me just say that the fact that [the sexy voice debate] resurfaced in the last 24 hours. Everyone saying that he lied makes me so happy. Big smile on my face. I don’t think anyone saw that conversation or dialogue happening, but here it is, and I’m glad it’s here. He’s such a great guy. He really wants to get the character right.
It was ace of Jeff Fowler would recall Idris Elba’s promise to turn down the sexy. But he’s Idris Elba – a Hollywood sex symbol; how could he not be sexy all the time? The Harder They Fall star has people swooning and thirsting over him online and in real life every day. So voicing a video game character couldn’t stop audiences from being entranced by his sexy gruff voice, but at least Fowler got some joy from the raging sexy voice debate.
With fans already fiending for sexy Knuckles, it appears the character will be the film’s breakout star. Having Idris Elba attached to voice the red echidna already had viewers waiting to see the results. Unlike the friendship established in the game franchise in recent years, it appeared the sequel will draw from 1994’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3. So moviegoers can expect Sonic and Knuckles to battle it out as Dr. Robotnik goes after the Master Emerald, but maybe the anthropomorphic animals will become allies just like the games. Hopefully, if Knuckles becomes a hit with audiences, there might be a spinoff in the future.
Knuckles’ big-screen debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will arrive in theaters on April 8, 2022. While viewers might not witness the Concrete Cowboy star’s sexiness in the film, they will have other opportunities to see him onscreen in 2022. If you want to see Idris Elba in the flesh, you rent/purchase The Suicide Squad digitally and/or stream The Harder They Fall on Netflix.