Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will see James Marsden returning to theater screens as Tom Wachowski, the titular character’s father figure. Many fans will undoubtedly recognize him from his role as Cyclops in the X-Men franchise, and Marsden insists the two roles aren’t that far off from each other.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Marsden compared his role as Tom to his previous Cyclops role, admitting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the “fastest” he’s ever agreed to a movie.
Fastest I’ve ever said yes to a role… This. Probably this second time around for Sonic, cause it just ticks every box, right? X-Men was a great thing, it was superhero and [I had] obviously come back for sequels on that one to fill that childhood dream of being a superhero. This feels like a little bit of that, but also something that I can enjoy with my 9-year-old as well. Just a great family movie, but also super turbo-charged high octane. If I could do this for the rest of my life, I would.
It’s wonderful that Marsden gets to enjoy thrilling action moments in completely different worlds, as well as decades apart. While his role as Cyclops gave his career a significant boost, it is great to see his connection to his latest role as Tom Wachowski.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will premiere in theaters on April 8, and will see the return of Ben Schwartz voicing the role of the lightning-fast hedgehog, Sonic, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the lovable Tails. Tika Sumpter and Jim Carrey will also return, while the character Knuckles will be introduced, and will be voiced by Idris Elba.