In context: Just about every gamer has likely heard of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog film. The controversial movie was released earlier this year, and after a false start related to the unusual design of certain characters – namely, Sonic – it managed to pull in enough revenue to justify a sequel, which was announced in late May.

Now, after a few more months have passed, we have a bit more information about the film. As expected, it'll be dubbed Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and it will hit theaters globally on April 8, 2022. This news was shared on Twitter directly by Sonic the Hedgehog's lead actor, Ben Schwartz, but it was indirectly teased yesterday by the film's director, Jeff Fowler, as well.

Aside from the sequel's existence and release date – which, admittedly, is more information than we typically get this early on – we know next to nothing about Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It seems likely that the main actors, including Schwartz, will be reprising their roles in the film, but it's simply too early to tell.

On the off chance that you aren't familiar with the original Sonic the Hedgehog film, it premiered on January 25, 2020, after a delay prompted by criticisms of the titular character's original design. Fans of the franchise complained that the original look for the film's take on Sonic was too realistic, lacking many of the character's iconic features.

Instead of forging ahead in spite of the complaints, Fowler and co. decided to completely re-do all of the CGI for Sonic, giving him a fresh new look that aligned more closely with his video game appearance. It seems the gambit paid off, as Sonic the Hedgehog went on break box office records, achieving the biggest opening weekend for any video game film released in the US and Canada, grossing $57 million in just two days.

We look forward to seeing what Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will look like closer to its release, but since that day is still a couple years away, don't expect to see trailers or promo images for the film anytime soon.