Despite critical acclaim for his role in the Sonic the Hedgehog film, voice actor Ben Schwartz admitted that he was not contacted about superseding Roger Craig Smith to become the franchise voice actor of the titular character.
In a interview published by ComicBook Tuesday afternoon, Schwartz admitted that he did not entertain the idea of obtaining the franchise role until Roger Craig Smith announced his departure from the series.
“I haven’t thought about it, I haven’t really thought about it,” said Schwartz, who is slated to appear in the Disney+ film Flora & Ulysses, in addition to the upcoming Sonic movie sequel in 2022. “The first time that it’s ever come up was because Roger seems to be stepping away,”
In defiance of widespread speculation about Schwartz after Smith’s departure, the voice actor clarified that he was not contacted about taking over the franchise role.
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.
Ben Schwartz
Schwartz also acknowledged the legacy of the previous Sonic voice-actors, including Smith, and thanked the Sonic community for their ongoing support.
The news comes after a turbulent week of rumours regarding the future of the franchise cast. Long-time Eggman voicer Mike Pollock confirmed his franchise reprisal, while Amy voicer Cindy Robinson will not. Former Sonic voicer Ryan Drummond was also thrown in the rumour mill after his agent contacted SEGA, though he has not received a reply back.
h/t ComicBook