The Mario voice actor is getting another gig, but this time, as a lazy, overweight tabby cat.
That’s right, Chris Pratt is the next Garfield! The new animated feature film has no release date so far, but we do know that Alcon Entertainment is set to produce the movie while Sony Pictures will be in charge of its worldwide release (excluding China).
The film, inspired by the 1978 iconic comic strip created by cartoonist Jim Davis, will center around the adventures of the well-known lasagna-loving feline named Garfield, his clueless owner, Jon Arbuckle, and sweet dog, Odie.
Alcon acquired the rights from Davis, who will serve as an executive producer along with Bridget McMeel from Amuse and Craig Sost. Oscar nominee David Reynolds of Finding Nemo and Mark Dindal of Chicken Little will serve as writer and director, respectively. The two previously worked together on Emperor’s New Groove. DNEG Animation will animate and produce the film, with CEO Namit Malhotra and president Tom Jacomb both serving as producers.
Over the years, Garfield has endured a number of feature films, but primarily as live-action/animated hybrids. We see this in 2004’s Garfield and its 2006 sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, where Bill Murray voiced the titular cat. Both films were produced by 20th Century Fox and were commercially successful, despite receiving negative reviews from critics.
Other direct-to-video films centering around Garfield have been released, including Garfield Gets Real, Garfield’s Fun Fest, and Garfield’s Pet Force.
Pratt is no stranger to voice acting, having lent his talents for the Lego Movie films and Pixar’s Onward. Most recently, it was announced that the Guardians of the Galaxy star’s next big project would be as Mario for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. adaptation.
Art Daniella Sison
