There is a Sonic the Hedgehog movie releasing next year, but there haven't been many details released outside the fact that it's a CGI/live-action hybrid. There is now some interesting news, coming from Paramount Pictures' CEO and Chairman, Jim Gianopulos. As reported by Deadline, at the 10th annual PGA, the Paramount CEO revealed the "hook" that sold him on the movie. The below statement gives fans a glimpse of what to expect from the film, and Sonic himself.

Jim Gianopulos: "He’s a juvenile delinquent on the adventures in a pretty straight rural environment with a local policeman. It was instantly engaging and it was good enough where you could see where it’s going,"

There are two things to be gleaned from this statement. One, is that while Sonic will be the main character, he is joined by a police officer. It sounds like there will be a buddy-cop duo element. The other thing is Sonic's character. The choice of words is "juvenile delinquent." This is an important thing to consider, because this is what Sonic's personality will be in the movie, either for part of it, or the whole thing. Dictionary.com defines a juvenile delinquent as "a minor who cannot be controlled by parental authority and commits antisocial or criminal acts, as vandalism or violence." With that definition in mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many Sonic fans are concerned about the blue hedgehog's portrayal based on Gianopulos' statement.

Sonic has never been portrayed as a character that goes out of his way to make trouble. He would never engage in criminal or misdemeanor acts. Yes, in early appearances, he was portrayed as a character with "attitude." He was sarcastic, stomped his foot out of impatience, and came off as being a bit of a "rebel." Sonic countered Super Mario, who was more of a quiet, friendly hero. (SEGA's rivalry with Nintendo is recounted in the book, Console Wars, by Blake J. Harris.) With all that said, Sonic was still a likable hero with a good heart - a far cry from the term, "juvenile delinquent."

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The Woody Woodpecker movie was also a CGI/live action film. The titular bird could very well be described as juvenile and delinquent; he lived off of messing with people. Hopefully Sonic is not portrayed like that, and also hopefully we won't be making comparisons between these two movies. (Woody Woodpecker has a painful 17% on Rotten Tomatoes.) Of course, to discount the Sonic movie based on Gianopulos' statement would be a disservice. Perhaps the writing can make Sonic's character development (assuming there is development) an interesting focus, and by the end, he emerges the good-hearted hero we are familiar with. It's best to anticipate with cautious optimism.

Sonic the Hedgehog will be released on November 15th, 2019.