Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Idris Elba’s Knuckles Will Not Be ‘Sexy’

Idris Elba says Knuckles the Echidna will not be sexy in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel.

Speaking to Screen Rant about Knuckles’ characterization in the film, Elba said, “Honestly, I cannot say. Contractually, I cannot say anything. But I wouldn’t say he was sexy. I don’t think I’m going for that. That’s for sure.”

Elba was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2018, and he’s known for commanding the screen in shows and movies including The Wire, Luther, and most recently, The Suicide Squad. This has led fans to speculate Elba will bring that same appeal to his animated counterpart. However, we now know not to expect Elba’s trademark sex appeal when he voices Sonic’s best frenemy, at least on purpose.

While Knuckles has never been known for his sex appeal, he’s arguably at the top of his game when he’s romping around Pumpkin Hill to the iconic (and endlessly memed) Pumpkin Hill rap soundtrack. Conversely, Knuckles fans weren’t head-over-heels for his Sonic Boom redesign, which saw him become much larger, and much less intelligent. We’ll have to see where on the scale Elba’s portrayal of Knuckles lands.

We first learned Elba would voice the red echidna earlier this year, when the actor posted a photo of Knuckles’ knuckles on Instagram. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is set to release on April 8, 2022.

For more, check out our Sonic the Hedgehog movie review, where we said, “While this family-friendly action-comedy suffers from a simplistic story and leans too heavily on tired visual cliches, Sonic the Hedgehog is nevertheless boosted by solid performances from Ben Schwartz as Sonic and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik.”

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.