Sonic the Hedgehog 2 star Ben Schwartz replaces his "stolen" speedy titular character missing from a movie theater standee in a funny new photo.
In a hilarious promotional stunt, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 star Ben Schwartz replaces his speedy titular character in a movie theater standee. The upcoming video game movie serves as a sequel to 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog, which performed surprisingly well in the box office and earned positive reviews from both critics and audiences alike. The sequel is coming to theaters in just a few weeks, and marketing has been well underway with two full Sonic 2 trailers and a slew of new posters, including one that nostalgically recreates the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game cover art.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will see the titular character (voiced by Schwartz) adjusting to his new life as the public hero of Green Hills, Montana. But when Dr. Ivan Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns from his exile, this time with a newfound power and a new partner in Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba), Sonic must team up with his new friend, Miles "Tails" Prower (Colleen O'Shaughnessey), to take them down. The movie, once again directed by Jeff Fowler, will also see the return of James Marsden as Sonic's friend Tom Wachowski, Tika Sumpter as Tom's wife Maddie, and Lee Majdoub as Robotnik's assistant Agent Stone.
Related: Sonic 2 Poster Hints The Sequel Is Fixing The First Movie's Game Issue
Schwartz, known for being a funnyman both on and off the job, has added his own flair to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 marketing campaign. The actor recently posted a picture in which he took the place of his own character in a movie theater standee, sharing the image on Instagram. Supposedly, the cardboard cut-out of Sonic had been "stolen" by someone else, so Schwartz thought the next-best thing to do was to "sub in." Check out the result below:
A post shared by Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes)
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It was recently announced that this movie will be the second in a Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, with a third Sonic film officially in production. A spin-off series was also announced, and will center around Elba's Knuckles the Echidna and air exclusively on the Paramount+ service. With Sonic 2 bringing in Tails and Knuckles, the most popular theory at the moment is that a third film will bring in the video game franchise's edgier anti-hero, Shadow the Hedgehog.
Schwartz's fun promotional stunt reminds audiences that the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog sequel will be a light-hearted, fun adventure aimed (for the most part) at kids of all ages. However, it does bring a certain question to mind: did Schwartz himself, ever the comedian, steal the Sonic cut-out, just so he could hog the spotlight? Of course, there's no way of knowing for sure who the real culprit is, and for now, the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 standee will presumably remain Sonic-less.
Next: Sonic 2's Tails Easter Egg Hints At Game Changes & Story Details
Andy Tolsky is a Movie/TV News writer for Screen Rant. Having grown up in the Los Angeles area, he was drawn to the moviegoing world at a young age. Today he still lives in sunny LA, and he often spends his time scouring the web for the latest movie news and reviews...when he's not watching movies, that is. His favorite movies include "The Lord of the Rings," "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Baby Driver". He can be found on his own YouTube channel, or reached via e-mail at andytolsky@gmail.com and via Twitter at @AndyTolsky.