"The Flames of Disaster" is the fourth episode of the series Knuckles. The episode was directed by Jorma Taccone and written James Madjeski. It was released on Paramount+ in April 26, 2024.
| "The Flames of Disaster" | |
|---|---|
| Knuckles episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Jorma Taccone |
| Written by | James Madejski |
| Cinematography by | Brandon Trost |
| Editing by | Al Levine |
| Original release date | April 26, 2024 |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Guest starring | |
| |
Plot
editFollowing the bounty hunter attack the previous night, Wade prepares for his morning when he's suddenly dragged away by a bounty hunter. Knuckles, however, refuses to rescue him, wanting Wade to "learn to rescue himself". Wade discovers his captor to be Jack Sinclair, who has taken on a bounty hunter job after failing into economic troubles. Jack cages Wade and takes him away to turn him in. Wade manages to communicate with Knuckles, who advices him to meditate to access "the Great Battleground in the sky", where he should learn the source of a warrior's true strength. Upon accessing, Wade meets Pachacamac, who, through a low-budget musical, shows him Knuckles' backstory and how he accessed "the Flames of Disaster" by learning his strength was within his heart. In the physical world, Wade uses this knowledge to free himself from Jack's cage. He later challenges Jack to a duel, which he wins by cutting Jack's hair and making him fall of his motorcycle. After taking his things, Wade reunites with Knuckles and the two use Jack's motorcycle to continue their trip to Reno.
Production
editDevelopment
editParamount Pictures and Sega Sammy Group announced in 2021 Knuckles, a television series starring Knuckles the Echidna that serves as a spin-off to Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog films. Idris Elba was set to reprise his role as the voice of Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022).[1] Sonic film producer Toby Ascher served as showrunner.[2] The fourth episode, titled "The Flames of Disaster", was written by James Madejski and directed by Jorma Taccone.[3] The idea for the fourth episode was to develop something just as entertaining as the feature films while also conserving the budget for visual effects for subsequent episodes,[4][5] which Ascher felt allowed the team to do something "unique" and "slightly different" to the films.[4] This inspired Ascher, a fan of Taccone's, to hire him as a director for the series. Due to scheduling issues, Taccone was able to direct only one episode, with the producers proposing him the fourth due to Taccone wanting to direct a "weird" episode, which Taccone agreed due to the challenges posed by Knuckles' limited presence.[5]
Filming
editThe "Flames of Disaster" musical sequence, which took 4 days to film, was shot by Taccone as if it was a music video, seeking to implement the pacing of one to a television episode.[5] The opening sequence was shot in location in an active firing range area, which Taccone noted complicated shooting the scene.[5]
Visual effects
editVisual effects and animation for the episode were provided by Industrial Light & Magic, Rising Sun Pictures, Host VFX, Fin Design, Agora Studio, and Vandivision. For the scene in the "Flames of Disaster" musical sequence where Wade goes through an scenario modeled after classic Sonic games, the filmmakers originally intended to use practical effects, but ultimately used a digital green screen with Vandivision creating the backgrounds through CGI.[5]
Music
editThe episode features the song "The Flames of Disaster", which was written by Taccone's brother, Asa, and composer Matthew Compton, and performed by Asa and Julian Barret.[6][5] The song also features vocals by Michael Bolton; Taccone hired him due having developed a friendship with Bolton after the two worked together on the music video "Jack Sparrow",[5] with Bolton agreeing to work on the song after the episode was pitched to him by the production team.[4]
Release
editThe episode, alongside the rest of the series, was released on April 6, 2024.[7] The episode premiered on Nickelodeon in August 14 of the same year.[8]
References
edit- ^ Kroll, Justin (February 15, 2022). "'Sonic The Hedgehog' Universe Expands As Sega And Paramount Sign Off On Third Film And 'Knuckles' Spinoff Series At Paramount+ With Idris Elba Reprising Role". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (February 8, 2024). "'Knuckles': 'Sonic The Hedgehog' TV Spinoff Gets First Trailer & Premiere Date At Paramount+". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (April 17, 2023). "'Sonic the Hedgehog' Spinoff Series 'Knuckles' at Paramount+ Sets Cast, Including Adam Pally, Tika Sumpter". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Russell, Bradley (April 26, 2024). "Knuckles star Adam Pally and showrunner Toby Ascher explain how that mind-blowing Alan Wake 2-style rock opera happened". gamesradar. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stedman, Alex (May 2, 2024). "Knuckles Director Explains the Bizarre Fever Dream That Is Episode 4". IGN Pakistan. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "Soundtrack Album for Paramount+'s 'Knuckles' to Be Released". Film Music Reporter. April 25, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ Murphy, J. Kim (February 8, 2024). "'Knuckles' Trailer Reveals Idris Elba's 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Spinoff Series on Paramount+". Variety. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - knuckles on paramount plus | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.