After an awkward development period that went from a CG re-do to a record-breaking debut, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was a pleasant surprise. Now a sequel is not only officially in the works, it has a release date. While other film franchises are getting delayed, Paramount plans to release Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on April 8th, 2022.

The voice of Sonic Ben Schwartz tweeted about the new date, while director Jeff Fowler celebrated the game’s 29th anniversary by posting that “We’ve got exciting plans for you bud!.”

After the first trailer for Paramount’s live-action Sonic the Hedgehog flick dropped, viewer reaction was so negative that it got delayed to change the main character’s CG look. But it debuted at #1 in the box office in February and eventually pulled in more than $300 million before its home release earlier this month, so of course Sega and Paramount are working on a sequel.

Variety broke the news of the follow-up, reporting that the same team is in place behind the scenes, with Josh Miller and Pat Casey again writing the script and Jeff Fowler returning as director. Fowler tweeted the article with a simple message: “ROUND TWO WITH THE BLUE!!”

That the internet had an uneasy reaction to our first look at the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog live action movie isn’t surprising, but the absolute horror induced by some elements of the furry hero’s design have not gone unnoticed. This afternoon director Jeff Fowler tweeted “The message is loud and clear… you aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going to happen.”

He didn’t say what changes were in store, but Sonic’s detailed teeth, under-stylized body type and widely spaced eyes seem like potential places to start. Take a look at the trailer again and let us know what, if anything, would make it better in your opinion.