Idris Elba is bound by his Paramount contract not to tell us anything about his role as Knuckles. Well, other than the echidna isn't going to be sexy, apparently.
Idris Elba set social media ablaze earlier this year by posting nothing more than a close-up image of a clenched fist. It was who that clenched first belonged to, of course, that got Twitter all a flutter, as it was not the hand of Elba himself. Rather the gloved fist and red forearm of a character the British actor will voice in the future.
That character is Knuckles, the role of whom Elba will assume for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 when it hits theaters next summer. A curious choice for the role, but one pretty much everybody seems to be on board with. It's incredibly hard to imagine what Elba is going to sound like as Knuckles. The one thing the actor does want you to know is that the world's most famous echidna isn't going to sound sexy.
“Contractually, I cannot say anything. But I wouldn't say he was sexy. I don't think I'm going for that,” Elba explained during an interview with Screen Rant. Elba is a pretty handsome man with a very distinctive voice. Obviously, his looks won't help him in the Knuckles role, but it'll be interesting to hear how he approaches Knuckles' voice.
Elba obviously means he hasn't actively tried to make Knuckles sound sexy in Sonic 2. In fairness, since the movie is largely aimed at children, it would be a little odd if that's what he set out to do. What Elba doesn't realize is that many people are big fans of his voice and might well be attracted to it, even when it is coming from the voice of an animated character. Either that or he is just being incredibly modest.
If Elba uses his regular speaking voice when bringing Knuckles to life, then the echidna is going to sound sexy by default. Elba does have the ability to switch up his voice though, as has been demonstrated whenever the actor has been called upon to play an American. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is currently slated to hit theaters April 8, 2022, so hopefully we don't have too long to wait for the first trailer.