Jim Carrey To Play Sonic Movie's Dr. Eggman - Report

Deadline just broke the news that Jim Carrey is negotiating to join the cast of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog film as the movie's villain, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. He'd be starring in the film alongside Westworld's James Marsden and Ride Along's Tika Sumpter.

Carrey last starred as Tadek in the 2016 detective drama Dark Crimes and the 2017 documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond. He'll be both executive producing and starring in this year's Kidding, which premieres on Showtime. The actor is well known for the crazed zeal he can bring to a performance, which could make for a very interesting Dr. Robotnik.

Dr. Robotnik has been Sonic's arch-nemesis since the blue blur's first video game in 1991. Possessing an IQ of 300, the mad scientist used his vast intellect to transform forest creatures into killer robots so he could conquer the world and claim the powerful Chaos Emeralds for himself. Over the years, Dr. Robotnik's plans have become more comical, and the villain received the goofy nickname "Dr. Eggman" in reference to his round body and being an egghead.

There aren't that many details concerning the plot of the Sonic the Hedgehog film. The movie seems to follow the same gist of the games: Robotnik is doing something dastardly to take over the world and Sonic needs to stop him. However, there are a few interesting twists this time around. An interview by The Wrap with film producer Neal Moritz revealed the movie will follow the buddy cop format, where Sonic, a juvenile delinquent in need of a friend, teams up with a small town cop to stop Eggman. We'll probably get more details closer to the film's scheduled 2019 release. The movie is being marketed as a mixture of live action and CGI.