Key scenes from the film were shot with a 25-member crew in the Emirate, capturing explosions and footage of the landscape using helicopters and drones.
Twofour54, Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment hub, has revealed exclusive footage from the behind-the-scenes shoot with the crew of Sonic The Hedgehog in the capital – as the Paramount Pictures film is slated to get a digital release on March 31.
The final edit shows Sonic running at full speed through Abu Dhabi’s iconic Liwa Desert, which doubled as the dunes surrounding Egypt’s pyramids and sphynx, whilst coming under fire from his nemesis, Doctor Robotnik (Jim Carrey).
Twofour54 provided full production services, including location assistance, travel, accommodation and transport services, as well as production management. Paramount, which also shot Mission: Impossible – Fallout in the capital in 2018, also took advantage of Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s generous 30% cashback rebate and tapped into twofour54’s pool of 700-plus freelancers to complete the shoot.
The movie stars James Marsden, Ben Schwartz (voicing the titular video game character famous for his incredible speed), Tika Sumpter alongside Jim Carrey.
In addition to assisting Paramount Pictures throughout the shoot in Abu Dhabi, twofour54 was involved with the production of the Sonic The Hedgehog movie premiere in Los Angeles. Major events producer Joe Lewis Company (JLC) put on the premiere with the help of two Emirati interns, Mohammed AlBlooshi and Omar Muflahi, who were selected as part of twofour54’s youth development initiatives.
Commenting on the shoot, Michael Garin, CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, said: “Abu Dhabi is used to hosting major productions, whether it’s Hollywood hits like the Mission: Impossible franchise or Bollywood blockbusters such as Tiger Zinda Hai. The fact that these productions choose Abu Dhabi as a filming location is a demonstration of the collaborative culture of Abu Dhabi and why we are seeing the world’s biggest studios, such as Paramount Pictures, returning to benefit from the production infrastructure on offer.”
