Sonic the Hedgehog: Ben Schwartz Addresses Taking Over For Roger Craig Smith

Sonic the Hedgehog has quickly become a fan-favorite title from Paramount after its theatrical debut in early 2020. In fact, given the circumstances of the year at the box office, the Sonic movie ended up being the highest-grossing superhero movie of the year. The film’s titular blue hedgehog was voiced by Ben Schwartz, an actor with a genuine appreciation for geek culture and knowledge of it to match. With Roger Craig Smith, the long-running voice of Sonic in video games and animation, stepping away from the part there is a large portion of fans who would like to see Schwartz fill the inevitable void. Schwartz opened up about such a possibility in an interview with ComicBook.com.

Right not, Schwartz is focused on the release of his Disney+ movie Flora & Ulysses. Still, he has plenty of Sonic on the brain. “Let’s all, for a second, before we even say that, Roger Craig Smith is an absolute legend,” Schwartz said. “Like, his VO work, Sonic being one of them, but his career is unbelievable for a VO artist. He is so talented.”

As for whether or not he would like to step into some of the Sonic roles which have been occupied by Smith, Schwartz admits, “I haven’t thought about it.”

“I haven’t thought about it, I haven’t really thought about it,” he explained. “The first time that it’s ever come up was because Roger seems to be stepping away, so, the first time ever, people are asking me I wonder, nobody’s asked me, between you and I, I haven’t really answered this question yet but nobody’s come up to me and said anything so my assumption is that, who knows? But I wonder. I love the world of Sonic, and I love the fan base. The fan base has been so supportive and lovely. So, I don’t know. I wonder, I wonder what would happen. But as of now, nobody’s had a conversation with me about any of that. But I do just want to say, that you know like, of course that whole you know, Jaleel, Ryan, all those guys are incredible, but it was incredible to be a part of that legacy and then to hear that Roger is stepping down just to say again how amazing he was.”

Whether or not Schwartz becomes the new voice of Sonic, he does have a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog on the way. Would you like to see him get more involved with the character in other mediums? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram!

Schwartz’s Flora & Ulysses hits Disney+ on February 19.