Chris Pratt is voicing Garfield in an upcoming animated film; the news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Garfield is the second iconic character he’ll be voicing as he was previously confirmed to be the voice of Mario in the upcoming film by Illumination.
The movie is being written by David Reynolds, who previously wrote Finding Nemo. Mark Dindal will direct, having previously worked on Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little. Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson’s Alcon Entertainment is behind the new Garfield, which has been picked up for worldwide (excluding China) release by Sony Pictures.
Created by Jim Davis, Garfield first appeared in comics sections in 1978, with the lazy orange tabby cat often causing problems for Jon Arbuckle, his human owner, and the lovable household dog Odie. Garfield, which debuted in 41 newspapers, currently holds the record as the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world.
Along with Pratt, the film also includes Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
Alcon acquired the rights from Davis, who will serve as an executive producer on the film along with Bridget McMeel from Amuse and Craig Sost. John Cohen and Steven P. Wegner produce alongside Kosove and Johnson. DNEG Animation, which recently worked in the animated feature Ron’s Gone Wrong, will animate and produce the film. DNEG CEO Namit Malhotra and president Tom Jacomb are both serving as producers.
Pratt’s voice work includes the Lego Movie films and Pixar’s Onward. The actor, repped by UTA, Rise Management and Sloane Offer, was most recently seen in Amazon’s sci-fi feature The Tomorrow War and will be seen back in theaters in June with Jurassic World: Dominion.