Sometimes, filmmakers can get ahead of leaks by putting out material themselves while their projects are in production, as this can oftentimes turn out to be beneficial. That may have been the case with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with the Knuckles character design leaking fairly early on into filming. Just recently, we got our first official look at Knuckles thanks to a brand new trailer released at The Game Awards, and his look also confirmed that the previous "leak" of his design was accurate.

Back in April, a statue of Knuckles was spotted on the set, and there were really no efforts made it keep it hidden from public view. Fans were quick to notice with images of the prop quickly going viral, and the good news is that fans seemed to really be loving his design. In a new interview with Collider, director Jeff Fowler says this was exactly what was supposed to happen. Without directly saying the Sonic 2 team leaked the design on purpose, Fowler teases as much, explaining that it would be a good way to gauge the fan reaction early on rather than spending tons of money later to give his look an overhaul.

"We did kind of have the benefit, in a weird way, obviously we have an on set reference, which is kind of low rent and crude compared to what the characters end up looking like in CG when they've got fur and lots of fidelity and detail, but there was kind of a spy photo taken one day of the stand-in Knuckles model just out in the street in broad daylight, and the fans actually responded very positively even to that very early, very crude version. In a lot of ways was kind of…I think we all breathed a little sigh of relief knowing that what we were going to put movie was going to look even better than that, but at least it sort of put something out there for fans to kind of comment on, and the fact that everyone really seemed to be on board with it kind of felt like its own little focus group or focus testing."

Jeff Fowler goes on to say that Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba, steals "so many scenes" in the movie. Given how popular the Knuckles character has long been with Sonic fans that certainly makes sense, and it only helps to have an actor like Elba providing his voice. He joins a returning Ben Schwartz as the voice of the titular speedster and voiceover artist Colleen O'Shaughnessey voicing Tails. Jim Carrey is back as Dr. Robotnik and the cast also includes Tika Sumpter, James Marsden, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, and Shemar Moore. Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington penned the script.

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was a tremendous hit when it was released in early 2020, and it's going to be interesting to see how the sequel performs. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is due to arrive in theaters on April 8, 2022. This news comes to us from Collider.