Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has officially begun production. Jeff Fowler, who helmed the original movie, is returning to serve as director tor the upcoming sequel as well. Taking to Twitter on Monday, Fowler posted an image of his director's chair from the set of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to reveal that cameras have now started rolling on the project. In the caption, Fowler writes: "Lights, camera, hedgehog. Production on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 starts TODAY!"

Along with Jeff Fowler returning to direct, Sonic the Hedgehog screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller are also back to pen the script for the sequel. Also back to produce are Neal H. Mortiz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara and executive producers Tim Miller, Hajime Satomi, and Haruki Satomi.

Ben Schwartz will return to voice the titular hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. In February, the actor provided an update on the project to ComicBookMovie, telling the outlet at the time: "I believe Sonic starts filming in the next few months, I'm not quite sure when, but I know it's coming up, and I was able to read a script and it's gonna be great!"

Additionally, Jim Carrey is expected to return as the villainous Dr. Robotnik alongside James Marsden as protagonist Tom Wachowski. Tika Sumpter spoke about the project in January on Live with Kelly and Ryan to confirm that she will also be back as Maddie in the sequel. She also said that filming would take place in Hawaii and Vancouver and was scheduled to start sometime in March.

Plot details haven't been revealed for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but we can infer that Sonic's pal Tails will be a part of the story. It is also rumored that fan favorite character Knuckles the Echidna would also be appearing, possibly with Jason Momoa voicing the role.

Released in early 2020 before the national movie theater shutdown, Sonic the Hedgehog was a tremendous hit at the box office, setting the record for the biggest opening weekend for a video game movie in the United States and Canada. And the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all-time in North America. Inspired by the video games, the movie follows Sonic the Hedgehog teaming up with a small town sheriff to find his lost rings and escape the mad scientist Dr. Robtonik.

The success of Sonic is even more impressive when considering the extremely negative reaction to the movie's first trailer. Initially, the design for Sonic was far different than what appeared in the final cut, drawing immense criticism from fans decrying his new look. The hedgehog was then given a complete makeover to have an appearance much more similar to how he looks in the video game series, and with the situation apparently rectified, Sonic fans turned out in droves to see the video game adaptation.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is scheduled to be released on April 8, 2022. In the meantime, you can watch the original Sonic the Hedgehog right now on Hulu. This news comes to us from Jeff Fowler on Twitter.