'Sonic the Hedgehog' Movie Casts James Marsden: How Will He Die?
Will James Marsden suffer a grim fate like his other cinematic characters?
James Marsden is going from Westworld to the Green Hill Zone. The actor known for playing Cyclops in the X-Men series has been attached to star in a film based on the SEGA video game Sonic the Hedgehog, set for release on November 15, 2019. The film was previously scheduled for a 2018 release date.
Given Marsden’s penchant for dying in movies (not unlike a certain Sean Bean), it begs the question: How will James Marsden die in Sonic the Hedgehog?
On Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Marsden, currently the always-flummoxed Teddy in HBO’s Westworld, will star in Sonic the Hedgehog. It is unknown if Marsden will voice Sonic or play a human who befriends the blue speedster. Prior to Marsden, Ant-Man star Paul Rudd was rumored to play a police officer who allies with Sonic. It is unknown if Sonic is still going to be a narc in his debut movie, but it will be directed by Jeff Fowler, who was nominated for an Oscar for his 2005 short Gopher Broke.
So how will James Marsden die? Because we’ve seen him die in X-Men, we’ve saw him die multiple times in Westworld, and we saw him as John F. Kennedy in Lee Dianel’s The Butler. He’s also, to put it mildly, a perennial loser. Insider detailed how Marsden never gets the girl in movies like The Notebook (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Superman Returns (2006), and Enchanted (2007).
The title screen of 1991's 'Sonic the Hedgehog' on the SEGA Genesis.
In Sonic, Marsden could fall into a pit of spikes, like Sonic does in the games. Or, he could get crushed by Eggman’s big wrecking ball. Or, Shadow makes a cameo and shoots him. Or maybe, like in X-Men: The Last Stand, Tails could be possessed by the Phoenix Force and blows James Marsden away (until he returns after Knuckles resets the timeline in Sonic: Days of Future Past).
The original Sonic the Hedgehog game featured Sonic saving his world against the evil Dr. Robotnik (“Dr. Eggman” in Japanese localization). The series expanded to include more characters like Miles “Tails” Prowler, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, and Sonic’s dark double, Shadow the Hedgehog.
Debuting in 1991’s Sonic the Hedgehog on the SEGA Genesis, Sonic is/was SEGA’s answer to Nintendo’s flagship mascot, Mario. Unlike Mario, whose games ran at a slow, methodical pace, Sonic’s gimmick was his ability to run at breakneck speed. Upon its release, Sonic the Hedgehog wowed gamers and critics with speed unseen in video games at the time.
Sonic the Hedgehog will be released on November 15, 2019.
